Why is the local health care administration prepared to have yet another service leave our community?
Our hospital used to offer much more in local care and one-by-one this has slowly been eroded. Over the past years I have seen the loss of a full-time surgeon, a designated surgical ward, an internist, a pediatrician and pediatric ward, a critical care unit staffed 24/7, bed closures, removal of the microbiology department, on-site dietary preparation — to name a few. Interestingly, the administrative hierarchy has increased exponentially. There is more administration now, managing fewer personnel and fewer services.
I refer now to the loss of mammography locally. In its place breast health will be “streamlined” to Terrace. The reason given is that the current mammogram is outdated and needs to be upgraded to digital capabilities. The underlying tone is that this is a women’s issue and not high on the priority list.
In its place a “mobile service” will be offered to these women. I expect this “service” will only appear during summer months when road conditions are friendlier. Can the “service” accommodate all the necessary mammograms during their visit? And this only provides a screening mammogram. What if something more is detected?
The expectation is that anyone requiring a diagnostic mammogram or an unscheduled mammogram during the other months will travel the 204 km to Terrace where the nearest “streamlined” care can be provided.
While this is an inappropriate expectation of female health care already available to our community, is it not also a safety issue? Have we not lost enough women on this highway? The Northern Health bus with its once-a-week round-trip service is hardly the answer.
I question how accurate the mobile service mammograms are. Those machines will be bumping along our northern highways travelling from one town to another and this cannot be easy on the equipment. Does a biomedical technician travel with the imaging crew to calibrate the machines when they stop? My guess is not.
Many women, all of them affected by this decision, are working in minimum paying jobs. Does one really think that taking a day away from work is a viable option for them? Would their employer permit that, not to mention could they afford the day’s loss of wages?
While this is mainly a women’s health issue, men do and can have breast cancer. I ask, if the preponderance of breast cancer was experienced by the male population, would this service be removed locally and candy coated as being available in another community? I’m sure you know the answer to that.
The Ladies Auxiliary to the hospital work tirelessly raising money to assist in purchases of equipment for our hospital. Have they been approached to assist with some of the funding for a digital mammogram?
After all, they are all women using the service being withdrawn. Has the Hospital Foundation been approached for monetary assistance? The paper quotes Dr. Joce Fourie as saying, “but the money isn’t always the problem.” However, decisions like this are always about the bottom line. That being money!
While the reporting alludes to the “uncertain future” and future mammography “up in the air,” my sense is that this is a fait accompli. That being, it has been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept. This is not acceptable. I live by the adage, ‘You can stand for something, or fall for anything.’ I stand for woman’s health.
Submitted with a great deal of concern,
Leeanne Malthus