PCH cancer patients must go to Charlottetown for treatment until July 10, says Health P.E.I. | CBC News

Cancer patients who usually get treatment in Summerside will have to travel to P.E.I.’s capital over the next several days, while those who need a medical oncologist will need to go to Charlottetown until August. 

The oncology department at Summerside’s Prince County Hospital is short-staffed, said Health P.E.I., so patients receiving chemotherapy will be treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital from now until July 10. 

The agency said in a statement that no treatment schedules have been interrupted because of the shortage, and that patients who require transportation and other support can pay upfront and apply to PCH for reimbursement.

Heather Mulligan, senior manager of advocacy for Atlantic Canada with the Canadian Cancer Society, said disruptions like this can cause an extra burden on patients and their families.

With lengthy travel to appointments becoming more common across the country, she said things like gas, food and sometimes overnight accommodations can add up.

“Any amount of travel puts a significant burden, not only on our patients, but [on] their loved ones, their caregivers who are accompanying them for their care,” Mulligan said. 

“Whether it be for a couple of days, couple of weeks, couple of months, [it] is quite a significant burden, not only in terms of the emotional toll that it takes on a patient, but also the financial impact that it has on a family.” 

Patients who need to see a medical oncologist — a doctor who specializes in diagnosing cancer and prescribing treatments — will also have to travel to the Charlottetown hospital “until the end of August (or sooner),” Health P.E.I. said.  

There are two-full time oncologists at the QEH who also provide part-time coverage at Prince County Hospital. 

There will be periods of time when only one of those oncologists is available, so the service will have to be provided in Charlottetown.

“To support this temporary operational shift, some nursing staff from PCH will be reassigned to QEH. Reassignment of nursing staff is guided by the [P.E.I. Nurses Union] collective agreement, which includes provisions for travel pay and compensation,” Health P.E.I. said in a statement. 

“In mid-September, a third full-time medical oncologist will join the team at the QEH Cancer Treatment Centre, increasing the complement of specialists and enhancing service capacity.” 

Unexpected side effects

The cancer society is calling on the P.E.I. government to offer a refundable tax credit for Islanders who are providing practical support to loved ones undergoing treatment.

Mulligan said a recent study the organization conducted in conjunction with Statistics Canada showed the average cancer patient and their family will shoulder more than $30,000 in out-of-pocket expenses over the course of their treatment. 

That can lead to unfortunate consequences, she said. 

“For some patients, it [means] taking on debt, and that’s the number-one side effect of cancer that no one expects,” Mulligan said. 

“The other is [that] people are choosing to forgo or delay treatment, and so we don’t want patients and their loved ones to be in those positions.”