Radiology | There is a lack of personnel and equipment in the country, deplore doctors

A group of radiologists warns that Canada’s hospitals are in serious shortage of personnel and equipment to make up for the delays in radiology examinations that were already significant in the country before the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis.

The D^r Gilles Soule, President of the Canadian Association of Radiologists, reports that in March 2020, on average, Canadians had to wait between 50 and 82 days to have a CT scan and 89 days to have access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). .

The arrival of the health crisis and the threats to the health network currently applied by the Omicron variant means that a large number of radiology appointments are delayed or canceled according to D^r Sgez who practices at the Center hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) and who teaches at the University of Montreal.

“Medical imaging results are often the basis of decisions made by doctors,” he recalls. “If you have a cancer-related problem, you need a CT scan to specifically identify the condition for treatment to be given. “

The D^r Remember that early detection of a health problem is often the key to recovery and that imaging can show a patient’s progress during treatment.

“I would say that almost 80% of the patients who come to the hospital need some form of medical imaging exam. “

A recent survey by the Canadian Association of Radiologists showed that 75% of its members have failed to reduce their radiology waitlist and that 30% do not anticipate that the wait time will ever return to this. that it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The D^r Soule reminds that an increasing number of surgical procedures require to be guided by radiology equipment, a practice which takes less time in the operating room and which reduces hospitalizations.

The D^r Ania Kielar, radiologist in Toronto and vice-president of the Association, reports that the Ontario government has already asked hospital managers to reduce the number of radiology exams by 30% due to the growing number of patients suffering from COVID-19.

“Applying such a measure exacerbates a situation that was already difficult for us,” she said.

The D^D Kielar says all Canadian provinces need more equipment and specialized personnel to use the technology to its maximum potential.

“At the moment, with the equipment we have, which is already insufficient, we have to extend the hours in radiology with a staff that is not numerous enough. So we have a double problem. “

During the last election campaign, the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC) promised the distribution to the provinces of 6 billion to reduce waiting lists in health care, But the D^r Kielar believes that Ottawa should spend a specific amount on the purchase of equipment as well as the training and hiring of specialized technicians.

In a communication on Monday, the Government of Canada said under the Security Recovery Agreement (ARS) it was dedicated to distributing more than $ 19 billion to help provinces and territories jumpstart their economies. and better resist possible increases in COVID-19 cases.

The communication specified that “the Accord includes an envelope of 700 million so that the country’s health systems can better face the challenges posed by the coronavirus and that some provinces and territories use the funds to reduce waiting lists. “

However, nothing was specified about the equipment and human resources in radiology. The Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, did not respond to a request for an interview on this subject.

Ania Kielar assures that it is “impossible to bridge the delays with the equipment and the staff currently in place and that in the end, it is the patients who suffer, which is the worst for us. “