Dozens of specialist doctors have signed a letter to B.C.’s health minister with dire warnings that the health-care system has deteriorated to the point that one million patients are waiting to see them.
CTV News has obtained the letter dated Wednesday, Sept. 21, which describes patients getting sicker, weaker and with worsening prognoses as they wait months or even years to see the specialist who can help improve their quality of life through medical imaging, surgery or other specialized treatments.
“We request a meeting with you emergently, and that is not a word we use lightly,” write the surgeons, pediatricians, dermatologists, immunologists and others.
“We see the decline in specialist care first hand every day and we are exhausted and demoralized; it is soul-destroying to be unable to provide the Specialty care that B.C. patients need and deserve.”
