Medical wait lists
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* Patrick Potter

“Medical waiting lists” appears to be not only a medical term but also a political one. Recently the lay press quoted the Canadian Institute for Health Information as having “identified a possible new reason for the wait-time problems plaguing health care — patients and medical staff tend to avoid surgery during Chrismas, the summer and March Break.”1 Although the article also quoted some surgeons refuting this general conclusion, it seems that hospitals often do rely on the drop in elective care during holiday periods to balance their budgets.

## REFERENCE

1.  1. Blackwell T. Holiday surgery may trim wait-lists [Internet]. *National Post* (Toronto) 2006 Mar 8. Available: [www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/cnspolitics/story.html?id=6e433ad9-761d-4c5d-9050-f7f656fcfc73](http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/cnspolitics/story.html?id=6e433ad9-761d-4c5d-9050-f7f656fcfc73) (accessed 2006 Apr 27).