'Lost in the system': Timmins family waiting months for tumour surgery due to health care shortage
Brittany Roberge, a mother in Timmins, Ont., is speaking out about the current state of Ontario's health care system as her 12-year-old daughter, Paige, faces repeated delays in removing a large tumour near her kidney.
Roberge told CTV News that local doctors discovered the growth back in May and referred Paige to Toronto's SickKids Hospital for the next steps and determined it had to be removed within the month.
The family has been waiting to be scheduled for surgery ever since.
"The surgery was supposed to happen pretty quickly because of where the tumour is and the structures that it's pushing up against," said Roberge.
"It was kind of important to get it out quick and we've been waiting for five months now."
She said SickKids told her it has a shortage of post-surgery recovery beds for non-urgent patients and with every passing month, she gets another call from the hospital saying it's hoping to schedule Paige's surgery the following month and has not forgotten about her daughter.
CTV News contacted SickKids to confirm its hospital bed capacity, but has not yet received a response.
"Because of the size of (the tumour), it kind of increases the likelihood that it can be cancerous and the longer we let it grow, the more likely it is to be that way," Roberge said.
'Feeling lost in the system'
Moreover, since moving to Timmins over two years ago, Roberge said she's been facing an age-old northern Ontario health care issue of being unable to find a family doctor.
In this case, a physician would be able to provide follow-up care for Paige to monitor the tumour for further complications and health impacts.
Instead, Roberge said the family is left anxious, not knowing the state of the tumour and no sign of when things will improve.
"We're feeling a little bit lost in the system," she said.
That's a feeling health-care advocates tell CTV News many non-urgent patients have been dealing with.
The chair of the Ontario Health Coalition, Ross Sutherland, said staffing shortages and decades of underfunding have contributed to the current health care crisis that has seen emergency rooms shut down and non-urgent surgeries pushed back.
Sutherland said burnout in the industry has seen health-care staff retire early or quit, while government reluctance to adjust wages to inflation is resulting in fewer workers eager to fill the vacant spots.
As well, he said Ontario's health care system has been severely lacking in the facilities needed to ensure everyone has access to the care they need.
"We don't have enough beds to take care of people who need hospital care," said Sutherland.
"If you go in for a non-urgent surgery, you have to have a bed to recover in. You also have to have the capacity, in case something goes wrong, to transfer that patient to an ICU."
Ford government's health care plan
Sutherland said he feels the Ford government's move to invest in private health care is a mistake that will only take critical staff away from public health care when investing more in public facilities and workers would be more sustainable solutions in the long-term.
"You need a government which is committed to a public health care system to make that happen," he said.
"At this point in time, we have a government that is committed to fragmenting it more into some parts of public health care here, parts of for-profit health care there, parts of home care here, parts of this there, cutting wages here. They don't have a plan."
The Ontario Ministry of Health told CTV News in an email that its surgical recovery strategy is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to ramp up surgeries and related services and giving hospitals money to find new solutions to surgery backlogs.
The ministry also noted the range of ambulatory surgical services offered at various hospitals, including private facilities, to help address wait times.
'We just sit here nervous'
But while the Roberge family waits for Paige's surgery, they worry that they may be "stuck in northern Ontario with access to nobody."
Paige is looking ahead to high school, wants to become a teacher and plays several musical instruments, and doesn't want a lack of health care to cloud her excitement for the future, her mother said.
"She's just the best kid and this is kind of tragic to be happening to her," Roberge said.
"We just sit here nervous and worried every day."
CTV News contacted the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for information on doctors in the northeast currently accepting patients, but have not yet received a reply.
After reaching out to the office of Timmins MPP George Pirie, his staff said they have now contacted the Roberge family and the Ministry of Health to look for a solution.
Pirie's office contacted CTV News on Thursday morning with an update. Read more here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
NEW 'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.