Wait times for medical specialists strain public health care system

1.2 million B.C. residents are currently waiting for appointments with a medical specialist.

And those people have been waiting for six months to years in some cases, according to the Council of Specialists of British Columbia (cSBC).

“This is largely measured in specialist wait times, but we’re seeing worsening access to things like maternity care and inpatient Pediatrics,” Dr. Robert Carruthers told 1130 NewsRadio.

Carruthers is the group’s president.

The cSBC has launched ‘Every Number is a Story,’ a new campaign to highlight the impact of long waits.

He says oncologists, cardiologists, and other specialists need more resources to ensure patients have access to the care they need.

He warns that long wait times take a huge toll on patients – mentally and physically.

He points to the health toll as patients might not need urgent care at first, but symptoms and conditions worsen the longer they wait.

He remembers one of his patients had to wait a year to see a hematologist after a partial stroke.

“This person received an appointment in about a year from now, which just is not soon enough,” Carruthers said in an interview.

He adds that that kind of situation leads to huge anxiety and depression for many patients as they are dealing with longstanding health issues while they are waiting.

“I imagine living with all that uncertainty and the possibility of a severe blood-clotting problem. It was, you know, a very difficult piece of news for the family.”

Carruthers explains that it is more expensive not to invest in shorter wait times, as many patients would have to be treated in ERs or in longer hospital stays.

He remembers that another patient of his had waited months to see a urologist for what was at first a smaller problem.

No clear picture due to lack of public data

“The patient then subsequently deteriorated, and he needed to be in the emergency room several times and ended up having a catheter for an extended period of time until he was able to be seen and managed adequately by a urologist, and the cost to the system of this type of care is enormous,” Carruthers said.

He says he and his colleagues have more stories like that.

Therefore, his organization urges the provincial government to provide more resources to give specialists more tools to help manage the waitlist.

Carruthers adds that the long wait times also have an emotional impact on the physicians themselves.

“To those who are waiting, I’m deeply sorry. We’re working as hard as we can and for some of us, at immense personal cost.”

He also says that the full extent of the problem is unclear due to a lack of official public data.

With files from Srushti Gangdev.