Kamloops cancer centre lobbying continues due to split services

Local leaders have been lobbying the province for years to build a dedicated Kamloops cancer clinic. The wait ended this year, but not without red flags. The long-awaited cancer centre that will neighbour Royal Inland Hospital will focus on radiation treatment and diagnosis, without carrying over cancer services already at the hospital like chemotherapy. Kamloops city councillor Mike O'Reilly, who chairs the Thompson Regional Hospital District, is lobbying the new BC health minister to revisit the plan after a refusal before the election. https://www.castanetkamloops.net/news/Kamloops/505415/Dix-nixes-any-thought-of-revisiting-plans-for-proposed-Kamloops-cancer-centre A "fresh set of eyes" may reconsider and have local cancer care merged into one building, O'Reilly said. "We were advocating that we wanted a cancer centre in Kamloops," he said. "And also we knew that whoever got in, it would be a new health minister." READ MORE: Kamloops councillor says name 'cleared' in report while civil suit looms https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-councillor-says-name-cleared-in-report-while-civil-suit-looms/it107441 Patients wouldn't normally undergo radiation and chemotherapy in the same day, but they could be forced to go from radiation in the clinic to the pharmacy in the hospital. Unlike any other cancer centre in the province, treatment will be managed separately by BC Cancer and Interior Health. According to O'Reilly, they're record-keeping systems are incompatible, raising concerns for patient care continuity.  "From everything we've found, there's no other jurisdiction in North America that operates under that model," he said. He added that the hospital district has been waiting up to eight months for answers from the province about the project, including the rationale for separating services. Nothing has changed and the province is still committed to the facility, but the hospital district is looking for more information from the new health minister. Whether or not there's a plan for the split services to work smoothly for health-care workers and patients isn't clear, but that's the main concern for O'Reilly as the project nears construction. "From our side, we don't really care how it works, we just want the best model for patients seeking cancer treatment," he said. The issue was raised publicly at a hospital district meeting this summer by city councillor Dale Bass. Hospital district director and cancer survivor BC Conservative MLA Peter Milobar has also raised the issue and during this past fall's election campaign, pledged that if elected his party would redesign the cancer centre to include all services instead of the current plan. READ MORE: 'UNDER ATTACK': MLAs 'defend' Kelowna's 'Keep Christ in Christmas' sign https://infotel.ca/newsitem/under-attack-mlas-defend-kelownas-keep-christ-in-christmas-sign/it107453 Former BC Health Minister Adrian Dix stood by the plan as the most efficient way of getting the building built just west of Royal Inland Hospital. Dix announced the plans in May 2023 and confirmed the business case 10 months ago https://infotel.ca/newsitem/breaking-bc-health-minister-announces-plan-for-kamloops-cancer-centre/it103111 , with the province now in process of choosing a contractor. O'Reilly's lobbying efforts are now directed at the new health minister Josie Osborne. "These are things I look forward to discussing with minister Osborne and understanding her position and how things will be going forward," O'Reilly said. Construction on the $359 million facility is expected to start next summer, with the facility scheduled to be open by 2028. The upgrades to the hospital's cancer clinic should be completed a year later. iNFOnews.ca reached out to BC Cancer, Interior Health and the Ministry of Health, but they were all unable to comment by deadline. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .