Update: 4pm
With a provincial election expected to take place within the next four months, British Columbia's health minister visited Kelowna on Thursday to tout the progress his government has made one year into a 10-year cancer control plan.
But while no new funding was announced, Dix denied suggestions the press conference was merely a pre-election photo op.
“It's quite the opposite,” Dix said. “This is a 10-year cancer control plan that we've put in place, and we've made very significant new investments in our budget, and we're adding services all the time, including here.”
“But this is telling people, we've made our cancer public for 10 years, and people have a right to know what happened. So this is a detailed report of what we're doing.”
He noted that 34,000 people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in British Columbia this year, and that number is expected to rise to 45,000 by 2034 as the province grows.
In the year since the 10-Year Cancer Care Action Plan was released, the state has hired 92 cancer doctors, including 71 oncologists, and an additional 32 radiation therapists.
Dix also spoke about the increase in more British Columbians receiving treatment over the past year, with an increase in medical oncology and radiation oncology consultations, as well as an increase in chemotherapy initiation, radiation treatments and emergency cancer surgeries.
“Our health care teams have done extraordinary work during a really challenging time,” Dix said, “and we want people to have the opportunity to understand the work they're doing. The level of effort and talent and care and compassion shown by our health care workers is exceptional.”
More detailed figures from Thursday's Cancer Control Plan update can be found here.
A key part of the 10-year plan includes building four new cancer centres across the province, including a long-promised facility in Kamloops. Dix said construction is expected to begin in 2025 and be completed in December 2025.
A personal cancer journey
Sarah Johnston, a local mortgage broker, fought back tears as she spoke at a news conference Thursday about her breast cancer diagnosis in October 2022 and shared her journey fighting the disease.
“At that moment, my world was turned upside down… I was terrified. I didn't want to die. I was only 44, healthy and very active,” the mother of two said. “I had so much love and beauty in my life and now I had cancer. I felt sick.”
After she finishes her 10 “very gruelling” radiation treatments in June 2023, she will continue to receive immunotherapy treatments every few months and await further tests.
“This past year has been a year of healing,” Johnston said, adding that she now volunteers at the Kelowna Cancer Centre. “Any little bit I can do is a great way to help.” [have] It will make a difference.”
Political attacks
Dix denied that the press conference was political, but didn't hold back when asked about his political opponents in the upcoming election.
“This is something that's for the people, and I think we need to continue doing it,” Dix said. “Personally, I think [BC] The Conservatives were supposed to win the election.
“you, [BC] Liberals [now BC United]”After 16 years in power with a record of the worst diagnostic equipment in Canada, we want to go back to that. But I would say that we want to provide more services in the public system for people who deserve care, to ensure that the need for care is more important than how much money there is.”
Dix also described Kelowna Centre NDP candidate and former Kelowna city councillor Royal Woolridge as a “great candidate” who “will do a great job for us in this region.”
Update: 2:30 p.m.
British Columbia's Health Minister Adrian Dix was in Kelowna on Thursday to talk about the progress his government has made in the first year of a 10-year cancer control plan.
Dix made no new funding announcements despite holding a press conference at the BC Cancer Centre at Kelowna General Hospital.
Instead, he spoke about the progress his government has made over the past year, including the announcement of four new cancer centres to be built across the province over the next few years. The long-promised Kamloops Cancer Centre is scheduled to open to patients in late 2028.
He also noted that in the year since the 10-year cancer plan was launched, B.C. has hired 92 new cancer doctors, 32 radiation therapists and eight “Indigenous patient navigators” across existing B.C. Cancer Regional Centres.
There's more to come.
Original: 1:25pm
Health Minister Adrian Dix will visit Kelowna on Wednesday.
Dix will make the announcement at the BC Cancer Centre in Kelowna at 1:30 p.m.
The presentation will also feature information about B.C.'s 10-year cancer control plan.
Castanet will broadcast the press conference live.
