The Fraser Institute measures the wait times for surgery from the time a patient needs to see a doctor to the actual treatment. (CBC)

Canadian patients seeking elective surgery waited an average of 18.2 weeks this year, the first time waits have increased since 2007, according to a report Monday from the Fraser Institute.

The report titled Waiting Your Turn used survey responses from doctors to measure average waiting times for visits to specialists and for diagnostic and surgical procedures.

Mark Rovere, the associate director of health policy research for the Vancouver-based conservative think-tank, said that to reduce waiting, Canada should consider allowing consumers more choice in their health care.

"We believe that the solution to Canada's problem does not lie in more prioritization, wait-time targeting and money," Rovere said. "Simply throwing more money at the health-care system is not the answer.

"Decision-makers in Canada must summon the courage to experiment with policies used successfully in other countries, such as cost-sharing, competition and consumer choice, and simply make better use of a private parallel sector to ensure that all patients have access to the care that they need when they need it."

The report's authors said that from 2009 to 2010, wait times increased in two areas: the time between referral by a general practitioner to consultation with a specialist, which rose to 8.9 weeks from 8.2 weeks in 2009, and the time between a consultation with a specialist and treatment, which to 9.3 weeks from 8.0 weeks last year.

In total, the average wait was 18.2 weeks this year, an increase of two weeks over 2009.

Provincial waits

Waits were longest in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, at 44.4 weeks and 33.6 weeks, respectively, although the authors noted the survey responses there were lower than most provinces.

Ontario showed the shortest total wait time between referral by a general practitioner and treatment at 14.0 weeks, up from 12.5 weeks in 2009.

Manitoba was second at 17.5 weeks, up from 14.3 weeks in 2009.

Quebec and British Columbia tied for third at 18.8 weeks, with Quebec's average wait increasing from 16.6 weeks and B.C.'s from 17 weeks last year.

In 2004, federal, provincial and territorial health ministers promised wait-time guarantees for access to tests or procedures in five priority areas — cancer, heart, diagnostic imaging, joint replacements and sight restoration.

In March, the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported at least 75 per cent of surgery patients in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec are now consistently getting priority surgeries within benchmark timeframes for procedures in those five areas.

The Canadian Medical Association prefers a measuring approach similar to the Fraser Institute's. It believes the whole wait should be measured, from when patients first need to see a doctor, to the wait for a specialist, tests and surgery, then rehab, rather than the wait for a procedure alone.

The Fraser Institute conducted the survey of physicians from January to May. The overall response rate was 16 per cent. Survey questionnaires were sent by mail and fax, and a small number of telephone surveys were also done.