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The number of Canadian patients who travelled abroad in 2014 to receive non-emergency medical treatment increased 25% from 2013, according to a study conducted by the Fraser Institute, a Canadian independent research and education organization.

In 2014, 52,513 Canadians travelled beyond our borders to seek medical treatment, compared with 41,838 in 2013. The numbers suggest that the Canadian health care system could not comply with the needs and demands of a substantial number of Canadian patients, according to the study.

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[np_storybar title=”Matt Gurney: A 15-month wait for ‘urgent’ medical care. Thanks, Ontario!” link=”http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/11/05/matt-gurney-a-15-month-wait-for-urgent-medical-care-thanks-ontario/”]

Last year, trying to explain how Canada’s system works to American friends, I told them that the Canadian single-payer system was great at saving your life from a conventional illness or injury. The flip side of that, though, is that if you’re not quite in danger of death, you can be in for a rough ride. Outside of a few specific areas targeted for aggressive wait time reductions — things like knee and hip replacements, MRIs, cataract surgery and the like — you can be pretty much screwed if you need a test or procedure for anything less than a life-threatening condition. The system’s limited resources will always, naturally, go to those most in need. So you’ll wait.