The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care, 2023 is a new study that finds an estimated 1.2 million Canadian patients waited for medically necessary treatment last year, and each lost an estimated $2,925 (on average) due to lost wages and reduced productivity during working hours. Put differently, long waits for surgery and medical treatment cost Canadians almost $3.6 billion in lost wages and productivity last year.