Beneath the Surface: BC's Specialist Shortage and Its Impact on Patients

British Columbia is grappling with a hidden problem. while the healthcare system is busy trying to solve various issues it has no answer to it. The waitlist for cardiology, neuros, orthopedic surgery and urology appointmentsareway too long. Between 2000 and 2014 the number of specialists in these four areas has not changed. Yet these four areas have the majority of the 1. 2 million patients currently waiting for consultations. Most medical professionals in BC say that waitlists are increasing, with63 % of specialists reporting longer lists than 2 years ago. This increase in waitlists is causing tension on both patients and professionals. Waiting too long for treatment can lead to delays in diagnosis and causes more stress to the patients. Doctors are also facing challenges, having to deal with constantly growing lists while keeping up with their current cases. Over the last two years experts on this subjectare met with the BC Ministry of Health for a meeting. Their objective was to toconfront the growing waitlist crisis. Using strategic surveys to reveal what specialists are dealing with the establishment of this plan was the beginning. They wanted to give doctors new tools to bring the waitlists down. Recently, however, Ministry of Health has put a stop the meeting and said it was not going forward with its commitment to funding. The real damage lies in the solutions not being met so patients are put on hold, while specialists are overloaded. Imagine professionals being overwhelmed under pressure. The BC Ministry of Health was considering helping the doctors with funding. The experts proposed five solutions. They included using more up-to-date ways to manage waitlists. It could even mean more tutoring and hiring people to work together and build better rural health outreach programs. The Ministry of Health has not yet responded to questions from the professionals on funding the proposed solutions.