Waiting times for publicly-funded elective surgery are a controversial and, at some times
puzzling, phenomenon. There are great variations in waiting times across OECD countries,
for which little explanation has been forthcoming, so far. 2 Waiting time problems seem to
persist in some countries despite large increases in surgery rates over time. Meanwhile,
whereas general public opinion polls in several countries suggest that waiting for elective
surgery is seen as the most important health system failing, a number of micro studies of …