| Access to elective health care in Canada, as in other countries with publicly funded health care systems, remains problematic for the patients, the providers, and for governments. The causes underlying lengthy waiting lists and times are many, varied, and changeable. So, too, must be the solutions.
The Western Canada Waiting List Project (WCWL) is founded on the assumption that fairness in access to health care would be enhanced if there were a transparent and standardized way to assess the urgency and priority of patients on waiting lists. By extension, there ought to be standard maximum waiting times which correspond to patient urgency.
The overarching WCWL Mission is to improve the fairness of the Canadian health care system such that access to appropriate and effective health care is timely and prioritized on the basis of need and potential to benefit.
WCWL is a Partnership of medical associations, ministries of health, regional health authorities, and health research centres. The head office is situated at the University of Calgary in the Department of Community Health Sciences. | 
