Dear Candidate:
Over 202,000 Canadians are diagnosed with cancer every year, including an estimated 25,600 new cases diagnosed in British Columbia, with approximately 10,100 dying of cancer each year. Clearly, this life-threatening illness affects entire communities, especially families, friends and co-workers.
The Canadian Cancer Survivor Network (CCSN) is a national network of patients, families, survivors, friends, families, community partners and sponsors. Its mission is to work together by taking action to promote the very best standard of care, support, follow up and quality of life for patients and survivors. It aims to educate the public and policy makers about cancer survivorship and encourage research on ways to alleviate barriers to optimal cancer care in Canada.
The government of British Columbia has an important role to play in making sure that everyone diagnosed with cancer has timely access to cancer care and essential medical services as well as access to emergency rooms and the treatment and medications they need. Nearly 300,000 people in BC are without a family doctor (http://www.richmond-news.com/news/doctor-crisis-closes-richmond-clinic-1.14989846).
We invite you to respond to the following questions related to cancer care and healthcare in British Columbia. Your responses will be circulated to cancer patients and survivors in British Columbia and posted on our website, www.survivornet.ca and on our social media.
Question 1:
In a poll conducted by Innovative Research Group in August of 2016, healthcare is the number three issue (behind housing and the economy, and just in front of education) on the minds of BC voters.
If elected:
A) How will your government improve the delivery of cancer care and other healthcare services in BC?
B) Will your government restructure healthcare delivery, and if so, how?
C) How will your government ensure that cancer patients receive the services they need, including home care, financial assistance during recovery and for long-term side effects of cancer and/or treatment?
D) What will your government do to better the wait time for people who require an operation?
Question 2:
A key element of providing timely treatment for cancer patients is ensuring that they have access to the medications they need at the time they need them. Unfortunately, this is not always the case in British Columbia.
As of January 31, 2015 British Columbia drug plans covered 19.6% of the 464 new drugs approved by Health Canada from 2004-2013 and the average number days to list the new drug covered under each public drug plan was 787 (Coverage for new medicines in Canada’s public drug plans, 2015, Mark Rovere and Dr. Brett J. Skinner).
A) If elected, will your government commit to increasing the number of new cancer and other drugs approved for public reimbursement so that all British Columbians have timely access to the drugs they need, and if so, how will this be accomplished?
B) If elected to government will you undertake negotiations leading to regional collaboration to ensure timely patient access to cancer drugs?
Question 3:
A study published from the University of British Columbia says that one in 12 Canadians (aged 55 and older) were the second most likely among comparable countries to stop filling their prescriptions in 2014 because of cost.
A) If elected to government, what will your party do to make prescription medications more affordable?
B) Why is there such a difference between BC and other provinces?
We thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Response:
Hello Ms Oliver;
I believe that our comprehensive Health platform answers your concerns regarding timely and accessible care for cancer patients.
Rita Giesbrecht – BC Green Party
As you will see; we will create a separate ministry to specifically address preventative and healthy lifestyle practices, going upstream to the root causes of disease, and providing a healthier framework for recovery and chronic care.
We will also build stronger community health infrastructure to give better access to chronic, acute, and post-acute care.
We will work with physicians to reduce administrative burdens of doing business by physicians, to relieve the 1 !/2 days per week that doctors currently spend, this freeing up valuable time for patient care.
All of our policies directly address the Social Determinants of Health, and reflect the value that governments first and foremost responsibility is to safeguard the health and well-being of the citizens.
I think you will find that Green policy is much more accessible, comprehensive, and respectful of the patient, than is currently the case.
in hope and optimism;
Rita
Rita Giesbrecht