Healthcare advocacy groups call for improved care for those on central and north Vancouver Island

Hais said the health care for north and central Vancouver Island is not meeting the appropriate standards of care for heart attacks or cardiac care. Photo: Lauryn Mackenzie / CHLY 101.7fm

Patients in Nanaimo with heart disease cannot get access to the care they need and it can lead to suffering poor or sometimes fatal outcomes said a healthcare advocate group.

Donna Hais is with the Fair Care Alliance, a community group that advocates for improved services and support at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital for those who live north of the Malahat.

Hais presented to Nanaimo council about their mission to ensure all 460,000 patients the hospital normally serves, have access to culturally appropriate and comprehensive tertiary health care.

“Our vision is that NRGH has to be expanded to become a comprehensive tertiary hospital with an integrated approach to care and wellness that benefits all people north of Malahat,” Hais said. “Excellent care for everyone everywhere every time period. No exceptions.”

Hais explains that while Vancouver Island has several general hospitals such as in Comox, Campbell River, and soon Duncan, there are only three tertiary hospitals. Two are in Victoria and the other is the NRGH. But Hais said although the NRGH is a tertiary hospital, it only offers one tertiary program for kidney care.

“Here's a list of the other services that we're supposed to have as a tertiary hospital that we do not have,” Hais said.“You've heard me talk about cancer. You've heard me talk about cardiology, we could talk about pediatric psychiatry, infectious disease, hematology, and geriatrics. The list is long of services that we don't have and that we desperately need.”

She said there is an inequity of care that currently exists on the island with 460,000 people that live north of the Malahat compared to the 430,000 people that live south of the Malahat.

“​​We're the forgotten half. Half of the island population only gets 1/5 of the Health Resources. I want you to think about that a little because we're all paying the same taxes. But we don't have access to the same health care,” she said.

She said as Nanaimo is the second fastest growing city in B.C., the healthcare is not prepared as it becomes a regular occurrence that the hospital treats over 400 people nearly every day with a hospital set up with only 346 beds.

“So December 23 [2023] saw our highest population at the hospital with over 425 patients at our hospital,” she said. “So you would think it's near Christmas that kind of makes sense that we would have a high we'd have that many patients around that time of year. I can tell you that in February and March, we hit those numbers again.”

Along with not having enough beds, Hais said the hospital is 62 years old and has failed seismic testing.

“When my grandfather built the hospital in 1962. He never anticipated his great great grandchildren would be receiving their care in the same facility that he was provided care in. That was never the intention, but it's happening today,” she said.

Hais said the health care for north and central Vancouver Island is not meeting the appropriate standards of care for heart attacks or cardiac care.

Currently, anyone north of the Malahalt has access to only two cardiologists at the NRGH compared to the 22 on the south end.

The south end also has two cath or catheterization labs designed to treat those with cardiac disorders, while there are currently zero servicing the north and central areas of the island.

“Asking someone who's having a heart attack to get to Victoria, when Victoria is not always accessible, sometimes drops your chances from 25 per cent to zero chance of survival,” Hais said.

Hais said the north and central area has the largest population of people without access to a cath lab in all of Canada.

“You know what the number one killer of people in Canada is, It's heart disease, and we don't have appropriate access to a cath lab,” Hais said.

For cancer care, Nanaimo is expected to see a facility open in the summer of 2027. Ministry of Health announced last year a new cancer centre in Nanaimo, as part of the province’s 10-year B.C. Cancer Action Plan to improve cancer care throughout the province. 

Hais said there are currently no oncologists for the north central island, whereas in the south end, there are 40.

She said the NRGH needs a new patient tower with an additional 600 beds. Without this, she said the hospital cannot be the tertiary hospital that the north and central island areas need.

“You should be scared about this. You should be scared about a loved one having a heart attack because we can't help you here,” Hais said. “You should be scared about a loved one having cancer because we can't help you here.”

After the presentation, counsellor Sherly Armstrong asked if Hais knew if having a new cath lab would bring in more cardiologists to work in Nanaimo.

Hais said that the methods currently used for a heart attack at the hospital are out of date and that a cath lab should bring in more doctors.

“So the issue is that our only source to help you in a heart attack right now is thrombolysis, which is an injection and the result of the objection, one of the side effects is stroke. They haven't taught that since the 1990s,” Hais said. “In medical school, the standard of care is to install a stent and to have a cath lab. And we don't have that here. It's very hard to attract a cardiologist when they know they cannot save their patients.”

Councillor Ian Thorpe said that there is a great need to improve the health care in Nanaimo and while the City is doing everything it can, more of the general public needs to come out in support for it.

“But we can only work at the political level whereas you can work with the general public, and we need public advocacy on this,” Thorpe said. “We need the community to have its voice heard so the government whatever party is in power, hears the Nanaimo needs and deserves better health care in our region north of the Malahat. It is absolutely scary.”

As well, he noted that while the province would only pay for 60 per cent of building a new hospital, it is up to the regional district to pay for the remaining 40 per cent, something the Regional District of Nanaimo is already looking at.

“So a new patient tower, however, 10s of millions–hundreds of millions of dollars that will cost our local taxpayers will be on the hook for 40 per cent,” Thorpe said. “We are willing to accept that. And we are putting money aside to say to the government, we can pay our share. Sure we'll have to borrow. But we're willing to pay our 40 per cent because we see the need for this improved standard of care in the Nanaimo and regional area. So government, we're ready, where are you?”

Councillor Janice Perrino said while there may be problems with the hospital, she believes Nanaimo has the finest medical staff on the planet, and that the problems with the hospital are not an Island Health problem, but a provincial government one.

“Island Health are the ones that keep our hospitals going, make sure the staff are there and do the health care that we're able to do,” Perrino said. “It is our provincial government that ensures that we have the physical space that we need, and no one needs it more than Nanaimo does now.”

Hais said the Fair Care Alliance will be starting a new marketing campaign with radio and newspaper ads, the recent rollout of their website, highway billboards, and hosting public rallies to get the word out about the need for improved care.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.