After the radiologists last week, it is the turn of the thoracic surgeons of the CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS to denounce their conditions of practice.
At the CIUSSS, there are three who can operate, including patients with lung cancer, an often virulent cancer that requires rapid intervention.
However, due to lack of staff, they each operate on average once a week. Their time in the operating room has been cut off and they fear for the health of their patients.
Their release follows the complaint filed by a patient with lung cancer who denounced the waiting times for surgery. Joyce Ledoux has nodules in one lung, 90% cancerous.
Her thoracic surgeon reportedly told her that, in an ideal world, she would need surgery within two weeks, but that won’t be the case. His surgeon Dr Julius Poon has confirmed that he does not expect to be able to operate on him for six to eight weeks.
The CIUSSS de l’Estrie admitted having to deal with a limited daily surgical capacity due to a lack of personnel. Management said it reviews its prioritization list daily.
According to data from the Ministry of Health, in February 2022, nine patients were awaiting an operation, only for oncological lung surgery. This number jumped to 25 last January to reach 40 at the end of February; an increase of 31 people in one year.
The three CIUSSS thoracic surgeons say they have challenged management, which is turning a deaf ear to them. In total, 19 patients would currently find themselves outside the reasonable waiting period of 28 days.
Joyce Ledoux reported the situation to the CIUSSS Complaints Commissioner. She wants to tell the 15 other patients ahead of her on the list that they are not alone.
She also wants to make sure that her message is heard in high places, in Quebec, because she is convinced that the government does not always know how services are deployed in regional health centres.