A local doctor is raising a number of serious concerns about services at Delta Hospital.
Dr. Ken Lai talked to the Optimist about issues he says were brought up at a recent meeting of over 30 Delta doctors, but due to a fear of retribution by Fraser Health for speaking out, they are reluctant to make the concerns public or even sign a joint letter to the health region.
Instead, knowing he was going into semi-retirement, as well as already having the reputation for speaking out, several doctors asked him to raise the issues, said Lai, a longtime South Delta family physician.
"I turned into a so-called spokesman, unwillingly. They (Fraser Health) can try to do what they want to me. People need to know what's going on," he said.
A couple of years ago, Lai came forward to convey concerns about lengthy and frustrating delays for booking tests at the hospital as well as long waits for results.
It's a situation that initially improved to some degree after he went public, Lai said, but has once again deteriorated.
He said doctors wanting to book a stress echocardiogram to test their patients' hearts are having difficulty because the hours for those doing the booking have been cut along with the hours of the test itself.
Lai said MIBI heart tests, which let doctors know how well a heart muscle is being supplied with blood, have been reduced, while the wait to book ultrasounds, CT scans and even routine mammograms has also increased.
He also noted routine X-ray or ultrasound reports take anywhere from seven to 10 days once those tests are done, although report results are available sooner if something bad appears.
Some of the areas of concern include people with broken bones no longer being able to access the cast clinic at Richmond Hospital. Instead, those patients have to go to Royal Columbian Hospital, where the waits are longer.
"One of my patients was supposed to see them but the wait was two or three days, and when they went to the cast clinic they were told by the surgeon they should have come in earlier. Now, because of the delay, they had to book an operation to fix the broken bone
(because) it was worse. So now people who have broken bones that should be fixed in a day or two are waiting three or four days. Sometimes simple factures become open surgeries because of the delays," Lai said.
"The idea of regionalization is to make things better, but now it's become a barrier for our care. Our residents are traveling long distances and waiting to get the care they should be getting."
Lai said doctors here have other concerns about the standard of care in Delta and within Fraser Health, saying, "Regionalization does not guarantee equal quality care, even for people who have heart attacks."
Delta Hospital site director Annette Garm provided an e-mail response on behalf of Fraser Health, noting outpatients coming for X-rays do not need to make an appointment. No hours for clerical booking were reduced. To the contrary, hours were added, she stated.
As far as lengthy waits for CT scans or heart tests, Garm said, "CT wait lists at Delta Hospital meet and regularly exceed established standards. The radiologist prioritizes each CT within one of four categories from urgent (now), fairly urgent (within seven days), P3 which is within 30 days, or P4 which is within 60 days. P3 & P4 categories are considered routine CT requests which, at Delta Hospital, are completed before the 30-or 60-day benchmark."
Garm said there is a one-week wait for a cardiac stress test on site.
As far as the cast clinic concerns, she stated, "ER data indicates Delta Hospital has fewer cast referrals out. Cast referrals are sent to Royal Columbian Hospital as per Fraser Health guidelines. Wait times have not increased."
When it comes to regionalization, she said, "Fraser Health is working to standardize care and access to treatment across the region, following international standards. Health outcomes are improving and access to services are becoming more equitable."
Garm said she would encourage physicians to connect with hospital leadership if they have any concerns or feedback. "We value our relationships with our physicians and work with them to ensure their concerns and feedback are addressed appropriately."
