OP-ED: All provinces should copy Manitoba’s lead with Debbie’s law

"In 2024, Manitoba patient Debbie Fewster was told she needed heart surgery within three weeks. However, after waiting over two months in Manitoba for treatment, she died."

Author: Jane Gordon

In 2024, Manitoba patient Debbie Fewster was told she needed heart surgery within three weeks. However, after waiting over two months in Manitoba for treatment, she died. Her family has stated that if they had known at the start that their mother faced an unsafe wait time for surgery they would have paid for treatment outside the province. Fewster, a mother of three and grandmother of ten, might still be alive if the system had been more transparent.

This is why SecondStreet.org and Debbie Fewster’s family have put forward “Debbie’s Law” as a solution going forward. The idea is to legally require health providers to inform patients, at the start of their journey, of the estimated wait time they face for life-saving treatment and the maximum recommended wait time. This would allow patients to know if the system’s wait time is putting their life at risk or not.

While Manitoba has already begun to address the tragedy through a new government directive, most provinces lack such policies. SecondStreet.org’s investigations into what other provinces disclose to patients about the wait times they face shows a worrying trend. There is evasion, incomplete information, and a widespread lack of accountability.

The New Brunswick Heart Centre serves as the only cardiac care facility for both Prince Edward Island and its own province, catering to just under one million Atlantic Canadians. Still, after a fairly abrasive phone conversation with one of their operating room booking managers, we were told that the facility has no formal way of informing patients about surgical wait times.

The Eastern Health Sciences Centre in Newfoundland and Labrador declined to answer, sharing that the surgical coordinator was not at liberty to give out any information relating to current wait times. Alternatively, the Western Health site in the province advertises a “waiting for surgery“ brief, which includes information for worried or curious patients seeking guidance. Unfortunately, phone numbers listed for both the Regional Wait List Office and the Regional Wait List Manager were no longer active. In a world where AI can instantly create a fake video of Mark Carney issuing a ban on cars, it’s shocking that the technology somehow doesn’t exist for Newfoundland patients to easily get a rough timeline on the wait they face for lifesaving surgery.

In Quebec, SecondStreet.org was told their process would only be disclosed by filing a formal Freedom of Information request to get their wait time policies.

For Ontario, their Wait Time Information System does share some public data, but it’s far from perfect. The site allows for a patient to search for the wait time for their specific procedure and hospital, but more often than not, the phrase “data unavailable” will pop up. For instance, if you are having arterial bypass surgery at Guelph General Hospital, all you can see is that 60 per cent of patients get treated on time. At Unity Health Toronto, nothing is disclosed.

Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia lets staff share the standard estimated time from referral to consultation, usually three to six months. However, hospital administration specifically does not allow the sharing of information to patients beyond that. Supposedly they are trying to prevent the act of “hospital shopping” (patients moving between hospitals to get the shortest wait times). Imagine the audacity of a patient trying to receive lifesaving treatment in time!

For Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Nova Scotia, there was even less information. Phone calls to their facilities went unanswered, or the facilities declined to comment. On Saskatchewan Health’s website, patients are able to look at average wait times from past reporting periods, but there is nothing current. Interestingly, the Alberta Surgical Initiative Dashboard exists to solve just this problem, but it too is behind by two months.

So why does this lack of transparency exist?

Some health authorities say that being less transparent helps avoid unnecessary patient anxiety. But anxiety is a small price to pay for knowledge that could save your life. Patients deserve honest and timely information about their care, even if it’s disappointing. Providing wait times and suggesting options for long waits could save lives. In a health care system where delays can lead to death, the right to know isn’t just good policy; it’s the right thing to do..

Jane Gordon is an intern with SecondStreet.org, a public policy think tank.