OTTAWA -- Canadian doctors and nurses are fed up with inter-governmental "bickering" that is dragging out wait times and causing more pain and suffering for patients. A survey of practitioners released yesterday reveals most professionals in the field feel their patients face unreasonable delays for orthopedic surgery, diagnostic imaging, cardiac care and cancer treatment.

"Waiting times are now getting so bad in certain areas of the country that patients are suffering with more pain, with anxiety and in some rare instances, leading to untimely death," Dr. Sunil Patel, president of the Canadian Medical Association, said in an interview.

CONDITIONS WORSENED

The survey of 300 medical professionals found 44% of doctors and 49% of nurses believe their patients' conditions worsened while waiting for care.

Patel said doctors are increasingly frustrated that years of talking by politicians at all levels has failed to renew the system. The survey showed that 81% of doctors and 86% of nurses are "concerned" that different levels of government have failed to collaborate.

Also blaming a shortage of doctors, nurses and health technologists for the delays, Patel said it will take more than a federal cash infusion to fix the system. As Prime Minister Paul Martin prepares to meet with premiers next month, he said a concrete plan to measure results must come with new spending.

Patients demand greater transparency in the system, said Marlene Smadu, president-elect of the Canadian Nurses Association. "People want to be assured that when they need services they can get them in a timely fashion," she said.

A joint report from the health associations, called Taming the Queue, recommends establishing a system of wait-time benchmarks, aggressive recruitment strategies and expanding care options for patients when timely care isn't locally available.