By David MacDonald
david.macdonald@peicanada.com
A Kings County resident currently on a waiting list for a mammogram says government needs to do more to ensure women are tested more quickly.
Teri Morris, of Pembroke, was recently told by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital she would have to wait until January 2009. The reason for the wait was because the QEH was helping Prince County Hospital with its backlog. Some women would have to wait until August 2009 for a similar routine examination.
Ms Morris said she isn’t worried as much about herself as she is about others waiting to get a test.
Ms Morris said *** cancer is prevalent and she is worried it may be too late for some who may have it but won’t know due to the wait times.
“I may get the test in January and I may be fine. The other lady waiting to get in may not be," Ms Morris said.
It was only a few days after Ms Morris called the QEH when the province announced $835,000 would go toward *** screening initiatives, including the purchase of new digital mammography machines for QEH and Prince County Hospital and other enhancements to the *** screening program.
Jamie MacDonald, technical director of diagnostic imagining for QEH, said the *** screening procedure would take less time with a digital unit and would help to reduce wait times.
Ms MacDonald said in the past when film was used, a technician would have to call a patient back to do the test over. However a technician, using a digital image, could enhance and zoom in images to examine any issues.
Ms MacDonald expects the new digital units to be available by the end of the year.
“(In the past) a technician would have to call the woman in for another test, and she would start thinking ‘I have cancer.’ That causes a significant amount of stress for the lady," Ms MacDonald said.
But while the digital units may speed up the *** screening process, there aren't enough professionals available to do the tests. The province is currently struggling to fill four radiology vacancies to fill its compliment of 8.5 positions.
“We have been chronically short for some time, but this summer has been more urgent as one full-time person just left,” Ms MacDonald said.
She said while the province continues to recruit radiologists, the new digital system would allow images to be sent electronically to radiologists off-Island. Ms MacDonald couldn’t say when any new radiologists would be recruited for the Island.
“There’s no timeline. We’re working on as many leads as we can; we’re knocking on all the doors.”
She said the Department of Health is looking to extend the hours of the *** screening program to include Saturdays and evenings. The program is also planning to hire a scheduler who could answer questions and tell callers what the waiting times are for both QEH and Prince County Hospitals.
“Instead of calling both hospitals, there would be one common number for both sites.”
Ms Morris questions the government’s plans to use off-Island radiologists. She feels if government is going to be using their services, it should put in the effort to hire them to work on PEI.
“Obviously somebody there has the spare time. Offer them the money to move here.”
Ms Morris adds that the government should be willing to offer more money if that’s what it takes to get these professionals to work on the Island.
“Isn’t an extra $20,000 worth saving 100 women’s lives?”