Some B.C. cancer patients to be offered radiation treatments in Bellingham, Wash. | CBC News: Loaded
May6 16, 2023 - "The British Columbia government says eligible cancer patients in the province will be temporarily offered radiation treatment in Washington state. A statement from B.C.'s Ministry of Health says the initiative, which begins on May 29, could help as many as 50 additional radiation patients a week.
"Breast cancer and prostate cancer patients will be the first groups eligible to travel to one of two clinics in Bellingham, Wash., located about 40 kilometres south of the Canada-U.S. border., for treatment. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the arrangement is temporary ... as the province works to expand its own cancer care services....
"Dix says the province is making the move because B.C. hasn't been meeting its target for ensuring cancer patients receive radiation therapy in a timely manner. Nearly 83 per cent of B.C. patients are starting radiation within 28 days of the date on which they're ready for the treatment, a timeline that does not meet the clinical benchmarks the province has set as a goal, Dix said. If the change doesn't lead to enough added capacity for radiation therapy in B.C.'s cancer care system, Dix says the program may be opened up to more patients.
"Eligible patients will have the costs of treatment, including travel, meals, and accommodation, covered through B.C. Cancer and the Provincial Health Services Authority. Patients can be accompanied by a caregiver, who will also have travel, meals, and accommodation covered. B.C. Cancer support staff will arrange appointments, co-ordinate travel plans and greet them when they return to their regional B.C. Cancer centre, the province says.
"Patients and caregivers travelling to Bellingham will need to have valid passports and any applicable visas. Dr. Kim Chi, chief medical officer with B.C. Cancer, said the initiative will not just help patients who can travel but also benefit those receiving care in B.C. by increasing overall capacity....
"More than 30,000 British Columbians were newly diagnosed with cancer in 2021. That same year, 11,000 people in B.C. died as a result of the disease. It is estimated that 50 per cent of B.C. residents will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.
"B.C.'s opposition parties blasted the move Monday, calling the decision a reflection of what they say is the province's crumbling health-care system. Shirley Bond, the health critic for B.C. United, said the decision to send patients to Washington for treatment was an 'acknowledgment by the government that we have a full-blown crisis on our hands'.... 'I think that most people will be shocked about the deterioration that we have seen in the wait time in British Columbia,' she told CBC News.... Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau said in a statement that people needed to receive health-care in the communities they lived in, so they can be close to family and support."
B.C. cancer patients decry U.S. treatment plan | CTV News Vancouver | May 16, 2023:
I posted this comment on facebook today, but it's probably worth saying here as well:
ReplyDeleteYou're right that it's probably the best option given the situation. The problem is what caused that situation. For decades, B.C.'s socialist government has refused to allow private, for-profit clinics in the province; they just finished a 15-year-long court fight to keep them out. So, now that (like many other places) they have a crisis-sized backlog in cancer care, they have to turn to private, for-profit clinics outside the province to cope with it.