Almost one in five Canadians who sought health care for themselves or a family member in 2001 encountered some form of difficulty, ranging from problems getting an appointment to lengthy waiting times, the agency reported.

Access to two kinds of health care services were explored: first contact services included routine care, health information and immediate care for a minor health problem; specialized services included specialist visits, non-emergency surgery and diagnostic tests.

The survey found that an estimated 23.2 million Canadians, or about 94% of the total population aged 15 and over, made use of first contact health care services in 2001.

Of these, about 18%, or just under 4.3 million people, encountered a difficulty of some kind. This proportion varied by time of day and type of service. The type of difficulty varied by type of service but long waits and problems contacting a health care provider topped the list. (16 July 2002)