Bacchus Barua

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Director, Health Policy Studies, Fraser Institute

Bacchus Barua is Director of the Fraser Institute’s Centre for Health Policy Studies. He completed his BA (Honours) in Economics at the University of Delhi (Ramjas College) and received an MA in Economics from Simon Fraser University. Bacchus has conducted research on a range of key health care topics including hospital performance, access to new pharmaceuticals, the impact of aging on health care expenditures, and international comparisons of health care systems. He also designed the Provincial Healthcare Index (2013) and is the lead author of The Effect of Wait Times on Mortality in Canada, and Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada (2010–2014).

Recent Research by Bacchus Barua

10 Years On—Revisiting the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative

— May 30, 2024

10 Years On—Revisiting the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative finds that private clinics were a key component of the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative (SSI), established to tackle medical wait times for non-emergency but necessary surgical procedures including knee and hip replacements, which reduced waiting times in the province by 47 per cent between 2010 and 2014 (when the SSI was in place).

The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care, 2024

— May 2, 2024

The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care, 2024 finds that long waits for surgery and medical treatment cost Canadians almost $3.5 billion in lost wages and lower productivity last year, with an estimated 1.2 million patients waiting for medically necessary treatment in 2023, and each losing an estimated $2,871 (on average) during working hours.

Meritocracy, Personal Responsibility, and Encouraging Investment: Lessons from Singapore’s Economic Growth Miracle

— Feb 8, 2024

Meritocracy, Personal Responsibility, and Encouraging Investment: Lessons from Singapore’s Economic Growth Miracle finds that western countries including Canada can learn from Singapore’s pro-growth policies, which have helped transform Singapore from a comparatively poor country into one of the world’s richest countries.