18°c Overcast
14°c Cloudy periods
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Patients wait 249 days to see bowel specialist
Lives may be on the line, national group claims
A national health-care group says Manitobans are waiting far too long for a diagnosis of symptoms of bowel disease -- to the point lives may be at risk.
The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology said patients with digestive diseases suffer long waits across the country. On average, wait times are 30 days longer today than they were in 2005.
The association published the results Tuesday of a national survey of 200 gastroenterologists, including 11 from Manitoba. Each specialist reported on the wait times of 10 patients over the course of one week in April.
The survey found it took, on average, 161 days in Canada for patients to see a specialist or receive treatment from the date they had been referred by a family doctor. In Manitoba, the average was 249 days. (A similar study in 2008 recorded average waits of 155 days for Canada and 258 days in Manitoba.)
In the case of patients who went to their GP complaining of rectal bleeding, the average wait for a consultation with a gastroenterologist was 82 days in Canada -- and 143 days in Manitoba, the survey found.
Dr. Desmond Leddin, a gastroenterology association spokesman and professor of medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said rectal bleeding does not always signify a serious problem, but it can be a sign of bowel cancer.
"It really is something that needs to be seen in a reasonable fashion," he said. He said the national wait time is too high, let alone Manitoba's.
"You're going to miss cancers. There will be delayed diagnosis and adverse outcomes because of it," Leddin said.
Health Minister Theresa Oswald said she had not seen the results of the survey. It was released on the same day as a national study by the Wait Time Alliance, which monitors provincial performance in a number of areas of medicine.
"Certainly we don't want anybody waiting unduly long," she said, when told of the gastroenterology report. She said she would look into it, adding it was difficult for her to comment on a study without reading it and reviewing its methodology.
Manitoba does not track wait times for patients of gastroenterologists. Oswald said the province has not ignored the specialty, establishing Canada's first colorectal-cancer screening program, which has been successful in catching colon cancer early.
She said the province is also establishing a central intake system to ensure patients needing colonoscopies are seen as efficiently as possible.
Meanwhile, the Wait Time Alliance national report card, released Tuesday, gave Manitoba an 'A' for meeting medical benchmark wait times for both heart surgery and radiation therapy.
However, the province continued to do poorly in meeting national standards for performing hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery in a timely manner. The alliance gave the province a 'D' in all three categories. That compares with national scores of 'B' and 'C' for hip and knee replacements respectively and 'B' for cataract surgery.
The alliance reported Manitoba's wait times increased for joint replacements, cataract surgery and even radiation therapy in the past year.
Conservative critic Reg Helwer said the wait times report is an indictment of the NDP's performance in health care.
"(Oswald's) spending more and more money all the way along and we're not getting results," he said.
Comparing treatment times
HOW Manitoba stacks up against its Prairie neighbours and the national average on wait times.
CategoryMan. Sask. Alta.Canada
Hip replacementDCBB
Knee replacementDDCC
Radiation therapyAAAA
Cataract surgeryDCBB
Heart surgeryAAAA
-- source: Wait Times Alliance report card
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 20, 2012 A6
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 37 articles for today)
Rask stands up for 28 saves to beat Rangers 3-1 in Game 5, help Bruins advance to East finals
8:46 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Police searching for suspect who woke sleeping teen
- Traffic backed up on Trans-Canada near Richer
- MTS becomes takeover target
- Overnight stabbings probed
- Evidence ignored in dangerous driving acquital, appeal court told
- Teachers vote to donate $1.5M to human rights museum
- Doctor charged with sexually assaulting teen at HSC
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- Rare comic book featuring debut of Superman found insulating abandoned house in Minnesota
- Infamous, chronic pedophile declines to seek parole
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- 2 dead in crash near Portage la Prairie
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Winnipeg woman camps out in front of legislature to protest child welfare
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- Two men now facing first-degree murder charges in Tim Bosma test drive death
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- Youth faces murder charge in Pauingassi First Nation death
- Islamic life showcased
- Charges laid against Sharon Home over resident's death
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Unjust justice: Still no aboriginal court in Manitoba
- PC white grape juice recalled nationally over undeclared sulphites
- Demonstrators rally against Monsanto in global anti-GMO protest
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- Order of Manitoba recipients announced
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- New owner for lumber stores
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.