Only 27 per cent of Alberta knee replacement surgeries were done on time in 2022: CIHI
If you were an Albertan waiting for a knee replacement in 2022 and you're still waiting, you're not alone.
According to data released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (cihi.ca), 78,000 fewer surgeries were performed in Alberta.
For people waiting on knee replacements, 27 per cent were performed within the recommended time frame in 2022, compared with 62 per cent in 2019.
Across Canada, patients experienced longer wait times for joint replacements.
Countrywide, about 50 per cent received their knee replacement within the recommended time frame, as opposed to 75 per cent pre-pandemic.
The best was Ontario, where 68 per cent received their knee replacement within the recommended time frame.
Worst were Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, where only 23 per cent received theirs.
The backlog of cataract surgeries has been smaller than joint replacement wait times, with about 66 per cent of patients receiving surgery within the recommended time frame.
From April to September 2022, 50 per cent of patients nationally waited one to three days longer for breast, bladder, colorectal and lung cancer surgeries and around 12 days longer for prostate cancer surgery, compared with pre-pandemic wait times.
"It is encouraging to see that surgery volumes in certain provinces are nearing pre-pandemic levels," said Tracy Johnson, CIHI director of health system analytics.
"Reducing wait times is a complex challenge, and pre-pandemic surgery numbers will need to be exceeded to recover and to reduce surgical backlogs, although the findings vary across provinces and territories."
CIHI is an independent, not-for-profit organization that works with federal, provincial and territorial stakeholders to share information that informs policy, management, care and research across Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Conservatives poised to prompt marathon voting session on government spending
Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives are poised to prompt what could become an overnight marathon voting session in the House of Commons, signalling Thursday afternoon they plan to make good on their threat to delay the government's agenda by forcing votes on more than 100 line items from the latest spending plans.
Canada doubling cost-of-living requirement for international students
Canada will more than double the cost-of-living financial requirement for incoming international students on Jan. 1, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller announced today.
Flight safety in Canada is plummeting, a confidential UN agency report finds
A draft report from a United Nations agency gives Canada a C grade on flight safety and oversight, down from an A+ and far below most of its peers.
Russian girl shoots several classmates, leaving 1 dead, before killing herself
A Russian girl shot several classmates at school Thursday, killing one person and wounding five others before killing herself, state news agencies and authorities said.
'The Brick' is at the centre of our galaxy. An unexpected new finding may help unlock its mysteries
A box-shaped cloud of opaque dust that lies at the centre of our galaxy has long perplexed scientists, and observations that reveal a new detail about its composition are deepening the mystery — possibly upending what’s known about how stars form.
Amid concern over Canadians going hungry, Conservatives criticized for voting against school food bill
As Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre continues to voice concern over the increase in food bank usage, his party is being criticized by some for voting against a private member's bill that would advance a framework for a national school food program.
Canada being hit by 3 separate storm systems: Here's where
Winter weather is underway in parts of Canada with three storm systems bringing messy conditions from B.C. to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Von Miller declines to comment on domestic assault allegations after returning to Bills practice
Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller declined to take questions at his locker on Thursday, a week after turning himself in to police in a Dallas suburb after allegedly assaulting the mother of his children, who is pregnant.
Judge rules in favour of NBA star, nullifies purchase of $8M Burlington mansion once occupied by 'crypto king'
A judge has ruled in favour of NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in his lawsuit against a company that sold him a Burlington mansion previously occupied by self-proclaimed ‘crypto king’ Aiden Pleterski.