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Whether you ask physicians or patients, the answer is the same: Canada is failing to provide timely access to medical care.

The U.S.-based Commonwealth Fund, in conjunction with the Canadian Institute of Health Information, just published the results of its health policy survey of adults in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The results indicate that Canada is not just lagging, but is literally scraping the bottom when it comes to indicators of timely access to health care.

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Here’s a sample of our most spectacular failures:

• Ability to get a same or next-day appointment when sick: Worst

• Ability to get after-hours care (without resorting to visiting an emergency department): Second-worst

• Wait for treatment in the emergency department: Worst

• Wait to see a specialist: Worst

• Wait for elective surgery: Worst