Plan for out-of-province diagnostic procedures a start, says Sask. woman who's waited months for breast biopsy
Out-of-province screening plan shows government's failure to prioritize women's health: NDP Leader Carla Beck
A Saskatchewan woman who's been waiting months for breast biopsy says the province's decision to look to Alberta for help with breast cancer diagnostic procedures is a step in the right direction.
Lindsay Rogers, 35, has been waiting to learn whether she has breast cancer. She has a breast biopsy scheduled in Regina next Tuesday — about 15 weeks after her doctor put her referral through on Aug. 23.
The long wait for the procedure is despite the fact Rogers is considered a more at-risk patient, due to her family history of breast cancer.
The province of Saskatchewan announced its out-of-province breast cancer diagnostic procedures initiative on Wednesday. It is contracting Clearpoint— a private health company in Calgary — until March 2025 to offer 1,000 scans to eligible Saskatchewan patients on an urgent wait list.
Rogers hopes the initiative will help ensure others don't wait as long as she did.
"It is a start. I think the speed that this happened is because of all of the voices that have come forward," Rogers said.
"I'm one, but there have been many, many others that have also been coming forward that have been writing their MLAs," she said. "The more voices you have, the harder it is to silence."
While Rogers is happy the province took some action, she says it's not a solution that will provide timely breast cancer diagnostic procedures, such as biopsies and mammograms, in the long term.
"The main thing we asked for [from the province] is, 'you need to hire staff' — and I have yet to hear or understand that to have happened in any way," Rogers said.
Average wait is 10 weeks: health minister
Saskatchewan Health Minister Everett Hindley told reporters on Thursday that the province plans to fill technologist vacancies as soon as it can.
He said he'd prefer to see Saskatchewan patients get their procedures done in-province, but hopes the Calgary plan will be an immediate solution while the province works to shorten the wait-lists.
There are about 350 people in Saskatchewan waiting for breast cancer screenings, with an average wait of about 10 weeks, according to Hindley. The average wait time should be three weeks, he said.
NDP Leader Carla Beck said sending patients to Calgary is a sign of the Saskatchewan Party government's failure to prioritize women's health.
"We see in this province today an announcement that women who are needing urgent, life-saving mammogram care … [have] to go out of province to get the care that they should be able to receive here at home," the Opposition leader said Wednesday.
The issue is not a new one, Beck said.
"We had health-care workers — those who work in radiology and diagnostics — at the legislature today saying that they've been sounding the alarm for years on this."
Beck also said travelling for procedures could pose problems for women who will need to take time off work or find child care.
Questions about eligibility
The province plans to spend a total of about $3.5 million on the out-of-province diagnostic plan.
The Ministry of Health will cover medical costs for eligible patients, and reimburse travel costs up to $1,500 for each patient and a support person.
But Rogers said some people living in Saskatchewan were already going elsewhere for breast cancer diagnostic services, because wait times have been too long.
She considered that option, but was told by a Ministry of Health representative that her medical and travel costs would not be covered.
"The Calgary facility I am assuming they are talking about is one that other breast patients have already been going to," Rogers said.
"I would also like to know if those people will be compensated for already taking this route."
Beck said the province should consider covering those costs. A spokesperson for the province said only patients who are chosen to take part in the new out-of-province initiative will be reimbursed.
Patients eligible for the out-of-province screening will be identified through clinical assessments and contacted by the Saskatchewan Health Authority, according to the province.
Rogers said she wants the province to provide more information on who exactly will be eligible for participation, though.
The province's statement that eligibility will be based on "level of urgency as determined by clinical evaluation" is unclear, she said.
The province's spokesperson said factors like age, family history, and medical history will be taken into account when the radiologist determines level of urgency.
"The Saskatchewan Health Authority's Breast Assessment Centre will prioritize patients based on the urgency level assigned by the radiologist and the length of time the patient has waited," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement to CBC News.
"This is the same process used for prioritizing patients to receive these procedures in Saskatchewan."
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With files from Laura Sciarpelletti, Adam Hunter and The Canadian Press