Getting an appointment for a mammogram as a woman in a wheelchair can be a real hassle. Nearly half of the breast cancer screening clinics designated by Quebec refuse to give mammograms to women in wheelchairs, according to a review by the Regroupement des activists pour l’inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ).
What there is to know
- Among the 50 clinics surveyed by RAPLIQ, 24 refused access to women in wheelchairs.
- This is a “clear case of discrimination”, considers the Council for the Protection of Patients.
- The Ministry of Health and Social Services deplores the problems of access to mammograms.
“We are humiliated. We feel discriminated against. We feel apart and not wanted,” laments the co-founder and spokesperson of RAPLIQ, Linda Gauthier.
The organization contacted medical imaging clinics designated by the Department of Health and Human Services to offer screening mammograms to determine how many of them are accessible to women in wheelchairs.
Of the 50 clinics surveyed, 24 refused access, 18 accepted, 2 responded “maybe,” and 6 never responded to their request. This is the fourth RAPLIQ census in 10 years. “The longer it goes, the worse it gets. In 2014, there were perhaps 20% of clinics that refused to give us exams,” recalls M.me Gauthier.
Directed to hospitals
The reasons for these refusals vary from one clinic to another. “Unfortunately, we do not have a patient lift or the space to accommodate a motorized chair,” one of the Greater Montreal clinics told RAPLIQ by telephone. “It’s very complicated for our technician, we generally refer them elsewhere,” replied another. “If she can’t stand for a while, we won’t be able to because it’s too dangerous,” explained a third.
Several clinics refer patients to hospitals instead, claiming not to have the necessary tools to perform a mammogram for women in wheelchairs, the organization noted. “Why did the government nominate them as designated testing centers then? », asks Mme Gauthier.
RAPLIQ fears that this difficulty of access will prevent disabled women from obtaining care.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Linda Gauthier, co-founder and spokesperson for RAPLIQ
It’s bad enough to have a mammogram. It’s clear that a woman who gets the answer no, there’s a good chance she won’t call anywhere else afterwards.
Linda Gauthier, co-founder and spokesperson for RAPLIQ
“Whether we are a public or private company, we are obliged to offer the same services and the same care to people, whether they are in a wheelchair or not. Either we offer the service to everyone, or we offer it to no one. For me, this is a clear case of discrimination,” said the president and CEO of the Council for the Protection of the Sick, Mr.e Paul Brunet.
He believes that there is still a lot of work to be done in Quebec for people with disabilities. “In terms of access to care, public transport and accommodation, the State is not there. »
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, ARCHIVES SPECIAL COLLABORATION
“All mammography machines in Quebec can be adjusted to the height of a wheelchair, provided that the arms of the wheelchair are removable,” says a spokesperson for the MSSS.
The MSSS deplores access problems
Called to react, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) maintains that everyone has the right to receive adequate health and social services “in a personalized and safe manner”. Thus, “every woman [admissible] to the Quebec Breast Cancer Screening Program (PQDCS) must be able to benefit from the examinations offered within the framework of the Program, if she so wishes.”
“All mammography machines in Quebec can be adjusted to the height of a wheelchair, provided that the arms of the wheelchair are removable,” explains Marie-Claude Lacasse, MSSS media relations.
The MSSS deplores these situations of access problems.
We are very sensitive to access to mammograms, regardless of the clientele.
Marie-Claude Lacasse, MSSS media relations
Mme Lacasse maintains that reference tools created for appointment clerks were distributed to all centers offering screening mammography, in order to properly guide people in wheelchairs.
Since November 2017, interventions have also been made by the MSSS with certain centers denounced by the Regroupement activist pour l’inclusion au Québec as being unsuitable for customers with reduced mobility. “Since then, all the centers concerned by the complaint must have put in place measures to adapt their mammography practices and services to people with disabilities,” says M.me Lacasse.
Periodic reminders are made to designated screening centers, assures the MSSS.