Re: "Cancer patient faces surgery delay," July 28.
It was distressing to read about the delays in obtaining diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. I had hoped things would have improved since I went through the same process nearly three years ago.
Following a routine screening mammogram at a mobile unit I was sent to Victoria General for an ultrasound and biopsy two weeks later. The 16 days I had to wait for the results of that biopsy were the most stressful of my life. Once I got the diagnosis, I did see a surgeon quite quickly but another month went by before my surgery, which finally happened two months after the mammogram.
What I find most frustrating - and unfair - is that as far back as 2009, the B.C. government funded three rapidaccess clinics in the Lower Mainland where patients can get a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy and the services of a nurse navigator, all in one place, at one time, with tests reported back within 21 days (some within 48 hours), while on Vancouver Island we still don't have one such clinic.
The other factor is the lack of access to operating-room time for surgeons once they have a diagnosis. That continues to be strictly rationed by the various health-care authorities, which in turn leads to longer and longer wait times, even for serious diseases like cancer.
Ann Jessey
Saltspring Island
