Opposition says leaked document shows radiation waits may be longer than reported
A document leaked to the opposition party, B.C. United, shows radiation wait times may be even worse than previously reported by the health minister.
On Monday Adrian Dix announced some B.C. cancer patients would be given the option to travel to Washington state for treatment due to long waits here and increasing demand.
A series of graphs from a dashboard -- that appears to be from B.C. Cancer -- suggests fewer than 80 per cent of people are getting their radiation therapy in 28 days, the ideal amount of time.
On Monday, health minister Adrian Dix said the latest number he had was 82.9 per cent. It's unclear if he was referring to the leaked data.
At an unrelated event, Dix was asked whether the province waited too long to act.
"People will always say when you're taking action that it could've been taken a day sooner or a time sooner, but this is pretty decisive action, in addition to a massive cancer plan which focuses on research, health human resources and getting more care to patients," Dix said.
For health critic Shirley Bond, the key message from the leaked document is that the scenario is potentially worse than what's been described.
"Information is coming from cancer care providers, people who are very likely afraid to speak out, specifically, but the situation in terms of how many people are actually being seen within the benchmark wait times appears to be significantly lower than has been talked about publicly," Bond told CTV News.
The opposition is calling on the minister to release more data so British Columbians can know exactly what's going on. They're also flagging other long waits in the cancer care journey that they say also need to be addressed.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information has data which shows B.C. has the worst outcomes when it comes to waits for radiation therapy.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We were vetted': Sex-ed organization 'disappointed' over Higgs' comments
The head of a Quebec-based sexual and reproductive health organization says she's disappointed New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has deemed presentations she did in the province last week inappropriate.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
The dreams of a 60-year-old beauty contestant come to an abrupt end in Argentina
A 60-year-old woman saw her dreams of becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant in history melt away in a haze of sequins and selfies Saturday at Argentina’s annual beauty pageant.
2 died in plane crash near Squamish, B.C., police confirm
Two people died after a plane went down in a remote area near Squamish, B.C. on Friday, authorities have confirmed.
Kingston, Ont. tenants fed up with lack of action from landlord over broken floor tiles
Joel Felder and Misti Pitcher have been living in their apartment in Kingston, Ont. for over two years, but the past 12 months have been miserable.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Are you a loud snorer? You could have sleep apnea
You'll have a lot more energy throughout the day if you get a good night's sleep, but not everyone does due to a medical condition.
At least 15 dead after severe weather carves path of ruin across multiple U.S. states in the South
Powerful storms killed at least 15 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
North Korea informs Japan of a plan to launch military spy satellite
North Korea has told Japan it plans to launch a satellite by early next week, an apparent effort to put its second military spy satellite into orbit.