Wait Times in Manitoba

Welcome to Manitoba's wait time dashboard for wait 2 surgical and diagnostic procedures.

Manitobans in need of surgical and diagnostic care experience two distinct waiting periods. The first is the wait for a specialist consultation, known as “wait 1”. The second is the time between the specialist assessment and their actual surgery date, known as “wait 2”.



This tool helps visualize progress in reducing wait 2 surgical and diagnostic wait times. It includes:

  • wait times – the median number of weeks patients waited for a scheduled procedure.
  • patients waiting – the total number of patients on a wait list, and
  • completed cases – how many patients have received their diagnostic or surgical service, as well as the progress made in addressing the pandemic backlog (where relevant).

How to use the dashboard

Select Procedure Type filter to begin. Under each section, graphs break down the information by year, month or facility (where a service is available at more than one location).

On the left, drop down menus allow you to select which information is shown. Hovering over the chart will display more information about that data point.

You can also click on the icon in the top right corner of each chart to expand it to full screen. Please ensure your browser pop-ups are enabled on this page.

Please note: the wait time dashboard is best viewed on a desktop computer and is not suited for mobile browsers.


More information about the dashboard

  • Not all sites or regions provide all services. Due to the size of the charts and number of sites, some shortened names are used. View proper names of all facilities included in the dashboard
    Name as it appears on Dashboard Official name
    WRHA Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
    Brandon GH Brandon Regional Health Centre
    Minnedosa Hospital Minnedosa Health Centre
    Portage Hospital Portage District General Hospital
    Swan Valley HC Swan Valley Health Centre
    St. Boniface GH St. Boniface Hospital
    Bethesda Regional HC Bethesda Regional Health Centre
    Boundary Trails HC Boundary Trails Health Centre
    Dauphin GH Dauphin Regional Health Centre
    HSC Health Sciences Centre
    HSC Children’s Health Sciences Centre Children’s
    Misericordia HC Misericordia Health Centre
    Selkirk Regional HC Selkirk Regional Health Centre
    Seven Oaks GH Seven Oaks General Hospital
    Thompson GH Thompson General Hospital
    Victoria GH Victoria General Hospital
    Neepawa District Memorial Hospital Neepawa Health Centre (Memorial Hospital)
    Arborg and district HC rborg and Districts Health Centre
    Flin Flon GH Flin Flon General Hospital
    Russell HC Russell Health Centre

    Close

  • Wait 2 times include patients who are on a wait list for a scheduled procedure. Note that patients who require emergency diagnostic or surgical services are not placed on a wait list.
  • Wait times can vary significantly among various sites that offer a specific surgical or diagnostic service. It is important to note that a wait time calculation based on a very small number of patients over a very short period can be misleading, since a few patients with unusually long or short wait times may have a significant influence on the results for that month, particularly the average wait time. This will particularly affect facilities that provide services to a smaller number of patients, or in larger facilities that perform very specialized procedures.
  • The pandemic backlog data demonstrates where the pandemic backlog stands each month, with a blue line. The backlog refers to the surgical and diagnostic cases that were added to wait lists due to the impacts of COVID-19.
  • The data in the dashboard is only available for select services performed in Manitoba at the sites identified here. This means out of province services are not included. Additional services contracted through request for supply arrangement (RFSA) with private and public care providers in Manitoba are not included in this dashboard. For information on these services, click here.
  • For previous years, data is provided for the entire year, but 2023 is year-to-date. For an accurate comparison across years, you may need to select specific months from the left-hand menu.

Resources/FAQs

This dashboard provides information about select diagnostic and surgical services. The dashboard will be expanded to be inclusive of other diagnostic and surgical services over time with additional information in future phases.

Health authorities are required to report wait time data for services funded by Manitoba Health. Information is collected from physicians and from operating room or scheduling systems. This information is verified by health authorities before being sent to Manitoba Health.

Data is updated monthly with available data. Data is collected and verified before being posted. The dashboard is not meant to provide real-time information.

A wait list is a list of people who are waiting for a special medical or diagnostic service. They are waiting because the number of people who need the service is greater than the number of appointments, service providers or equipment available to provide that service in their area.

Only suitable patients who have consented to receive the service are placed on a wait list. Patients who are not ready for the service, such as those who need time in pre-habilitation or may be recommended for other treatment options, are not placed on a wait list. Patients who have not consented to the service do not go on a wait list. Patients who are determined by their care provider to be an emergency are also not put on a wait list.

Wait times vary from one service to another, from one specialist to another, and from one facility to another. Some reasons include:

  • how busy service providers are in your region,
  • newer specialists might have shorter waiting lists while they build their practice,
  • some specialists only perform certain procedures or work part-time, or
  • some surgical and diagnostic services require specialized staff and facilities.