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
BREAKING Police investigating shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
3 Indian nationals accused of murdering Hardeep Singh Nijjar facing court in B.C.
Three Indian nationals accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are due to face court Tuesday over the killing that triggered a major diplomatic rift with India.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.