Kootenay East MLA Tom Shypitka said the government needs to take action to improve healthcare access in the East Kootenay.
He said radiation treatment, specifically, is a huge need in the region.
“Since 2017, I’ve been pushing to bring radiation treatment closer to Cranbrook or in Cranbrook,” Shypitka added.
“Right now all those radiation patients have to go to Kamloops, Kelowna or the lower mainland, which makes the decision unfortunately tough on families. In a lot of cases, people are actually forgoing radiation treatment due to the fact they have to drive 10 hours in the wintertime if they can even get there at all.”
Plans have been underway for oncology and renal departments at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital.
Both Shypitka and Kootenay East Regional Hospital District board chair David Wilks have been petitioning the provincial government to include cancer treatment in the upgrades, but so far there has been no luck.
While in Cranbrook for a listening tour, BC United leader Kevin Falcon said radiation treatment is exactly what this area needs.
“We have to make sure the design of the building allows for that and I know that the board chair David Wilks and MLA Tom Shypitka have been working together to try and convince the government of this,” Falcon said.
“Adrian Dix has been very clear that he is not going to go there, but we are way more open to saying that this is exactly what we should be looking at. At the end of the day, we should not be having to send our patients elsewhere. Let’s try to get that care delivered here locally.”
He added at the very least B.C. has to repair its issues with Alberta so patients can travel across the border for care.
“At a time when this government is sending patients to the United States, we can’t even send patients right next door to Alberta and that is crazy,” he said.
“We’re going to work with the Alberta Government to reestablish that relationship so folks here don’t have to drive 10 hours to get down to Kelowna.”
Currently, patients are sent to Kamloops, Kelowna or the lower mainland for treatment.
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