MD here. THIS RIGHT HERE IS AN EASILY FIXABLE PROBLEM. The average waiting time to see a colorectal surgeon is NOT 12 months. The average waiting time for a procedure is NOT 12 months.

However, the referral system is an absolute shambles. There's no easy database to see which specialists have the shortest waiting time, so when you ask your GP/walkin doc for a referral, they just literally pick someone based on who they know. Who they know can be someone they went to med school with, someone who they've heard of, someone they google. There is NO system for referring you to "the next available colorectal surgeon in the GVRD."

In addition, most OR allocation works by "resource allocation management" or RAM. RAM means that doctors with longer waiting lists get more OR time. So it actually incentivizes surgeons to see as many patients as possible, to actually intentionally create long wait lists, so they get to have lots of OR time. So surgeons have no incentive to say "my wait is already long, go see this young talented surgeon who has a 2-month waitlist" because that will actually cause them to lose operating room time to the surgeon with the shorter waitlist.

Meaningful steps towards OR waitlist reform would make a huge difference in BC. Meaningful steps towards making a "next available surgeon" option for referrals would be life-changing.