Parents of a one-year old girl needing life-saving heart surgery are worried a shortage of surgeons at BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) is putting their daughter at risk.
They are among dozens of parents calling on the Ministry of Health (MOH) to put more funding and resources into the hospital’s cardiac surgery program, which is struggling with some staffing issues.
Surgeons from partner hospitals have been brought in to fill in the gaps, but not all surgeries can be performed in B.C. and as many as 18 families will have to go out of province to get transplants or other complex cardiac surgery.
“It’s creating such uncertainty for families,” said Ian Bushfield, whose daughter, Ada, has tricuspid atresia, a condition in which the valve in the right side of her heart didn't develop.
Ada has already had two surgeries – one at three weeks, another at seven months – and will require another when her heart is more fully developed.
“It’s one of those things where we are waiting for her heart surgery and there’s already uncertainty when it will be — now we don’t know where it will be and who will perform it,” said Sonia, Ada’s mom.
TO AVOID HEART FAILURE CHILD MUST HAVE LIFE-SAVING SURGERY
She explained her daughter is doing well now, but worries about what will happen when Ada shows signs of cardiac failure, such as her colour changing and energy level dropping.
“When we start to see the signs she’s starting to struggle, that’s when we start to do the surgery,” Sonia said.
The source of the problem appears to be a personnel dispute that ended up in court late last year. It appears the issue hasn't been resolved, but officials are not offering specific details about the problem or when it will be fixed.
B.C.’s health ministry said in a statement to the Tri-City News it’s aware of the situation at BCCH and “efforts are underway to ensure all the program elements necessary will soon be in place to provide a full-service cardiac sciences program to support B.C. children and families whenever needed.”
Families who have to go out of province to Edmonton or Toronto to receive care for their children are receiving financial and other supports, according to the ministry.
But B.C. families say they want more information about bringing a full-service cardiac surgery program to the children’s hospital.
“We have funders who have funded a state of the art hospital and we don’t have state of the art programs,” said Debbie Bielech, executive director of The Children’s Organ Transplant Society.
Bielech, whose own son had to leave B.C. for a liver transplant more than 20 years ago, said the cost of providing care out of province is extremely costly for taxpayers while creating additional trauma for families who have to leave their support networks behind.
Many also are financially devastated by having to go out of province for care, often for months at a time.
' TIME FOR MINISTRY OF HEALTH TO SHOW LEADERSHIP': LETTER
Letters have been sent to health minister Adrian Dix and the MOH asking for the province to step in and resolve a situation that has left many families scrambling.
“It is time for the MOH to provide the strategic leadership and public accountability that it is mandated to do,” wrote parent Carmen Carriere.
The ministry, meanwhile, states it’s focused on ensuring BCCH has a world class cardiac surgery program, but adds it’s currently facing “challenges” in providing “highest quality patient care” in recent weeks.
In the meantime, the email states, the hospital will be bringing in “leading pediatric cardiac surgeons from our partner children’s hospitals” to provide on-site care over the summer months and throughout the fall.
