Sending B.C. cancer patients to Bellingham for treatment ‘a sad state of reality,’ critics say

While the decision by the province to send breast cancer and prostate cancer patients to the U.S. for faster radiation treatment is being welcomed by some, critics say it’s an indictment of a flagging health care system that has not kept up with demand.

Health Minister Adrian Dix announced Monday that eligible breast and prostate cancer patients will be sent to one of two clinics in Bellingham for radiation treatment, starting May 29. The unprecedented move to send thousands of B.C. patients to the U.S. over the next two years is an attempt to address the backlog in B.C. which has one of the longest waits for radiation treatment in Canada.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” said Leanne Kopp, executive director of Island Prostate Centre, a Victoria-based non-profit that helps prostate cancer patients navigate the health system.

“I think it’s great that (cancer patients) can have access to quicker treatment. But on the other hand, it’s a sad state of reality when we can’t get treatment locally and we have to leave our own communities to get this done.”