MA – Groundbreaking an exciting milestone despite PET-CT issue

By BOWINN MA
Minister of Infrastructure

CANCER IMPACTS all of us. The Canadian Cancer Society estimates more than 30,000 family members in B.C. will be diagnosed this year alone. It is one of the most challenging times for a family.

Approximately 50 per cent of cancer patients receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment plan. Radiation therapy can last between one and seven weeks and result in side effects that include fatigue and hair loss.

For too long, cancer patients in the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap region have been travelling to Kelowna to access this lifesaving treatment.

That often means family members or loved ones taking time off work to drive more than two hours each way — and more in inclement conditions — to ensure their loved one gets the treatment they need. This is in addition to the other caregiving responsibilities they are likely taking on and the added stress on patients and family members.

That’s why the groundbreaking ceremony to announce EllisDon Corporation as the contractor that will build this new BC cancer centre was such an exciting milestone for people in this region.

Once open, the new centre is expected to provide radiation treatment for up to 1,200 patients in its first year and will provide an additional MRI machine for cancer detection and diagnosis. The pharmacy will also be expanded along with the Community Oncology Network where patients currently receive chemotherapy.

The project is not without its challenges. The available site for the project is constrained and against a steep slope, resulting in space limitations for the building. The decision was therefore made to prioritize the available space for all the services that would be required to support lifesaving radiation treatment, which left no room for a PET-CT scanner. Although difficult, this decision was also rooted in the needs of the community.

Providing radiation therapy and improving chemotherapy services are the highest priority for cancer patients in this region based on the latest available data. Estimates indicate patients living in and around Kamloops travel for radiation therapy about 16,500 times a year.

Individual cancer patients will make the trips dozens and dozens of times for weeks on end during some of the most difficult and exhausting treatment regimens a person can bear. For context, the current number of trips required from the region for PET-CT scans is about 900 per year, or about one day per week of PET-CT capacity, with most people requiring a scan just once.

All this being said, we know there is more work to do. The new BC cancer centre is the largest ever cancer care investment in Kamloops. It is a generational investment that will benefit people in this region for years to come and it’s just one part of our government’s commitment to strengthen health-care infrastructure across the province.

Bowinn Ma is the MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale and BC’s Minister for Infrastructure, which is a new ministry created in 2024 to deliver capital projects for communities.