Surgery for Sale?

What will it take to reduce the lengthy waits patients now endure for orthopaedic surgeries? Political will, many say. Which is why some hope rests on a potentially influential legal case to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada in March. The public attention it generates could help lay the groundwork for the kind of national consensus needed to bring substantial reform to health-care delivery. Known as the Chaoulli case, it takes its name from Montreal physician Jacques Chaoulli, whose patient, George Zeliotis, waited about a year for hip-replacement surgery he had in 1997. Now the two argue that a patient should be allowed to pay for an operation, or buy health insurance, to ensure speedy treatment. While supporting publicly funded health care, Dr. Robert Hollinshead, president of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association, hopes the case stirs debate.