Some medical professionals say the lack of a CT scanner at Squamish General Hospital is putting patient safety at risk.
"In 2021, access to [Computerized Tomography] imaging is the standard of care in any emergency department,” said Dr. James Cranston, who is the co-lead physician in the emergency department in Squamish and an instructor with the UBC Department of Family Practice, in a letter to The Chief this week.
“But, Squamish, with a population of nearly 25,000 people, is now the largest population centre in British Columbia to not have a CT.
"The need for CT in Squamish was to be reassessed over time, but unfortunately, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) hasn't yet made this commitment. Every year that has gone by has seen our need for a CT grow along with the increasing numbers of patients seen in town.
“At this time, our physician group feels the risk to patient safety from not having a CT has become unacceptable.”
A "CT for Squamish Committee" has been formed that is made up of a small group of physicians. The committee will push for a CT at the hospital, Cranston said, adding the committee will be seeking the support of others in the community.
In the letter, Cranston said he is speaking "on behalf of your medical community" adding that the lack of a CT scanner hampers physicians' ability to practice safe and modern medicine.
Patients to Squamish hospital that require a CT are referred and transferred to Lions Gate Hospital's (LGH) emergency department (ED).
Cranston said he guesses a few hundred CTs are required every month in Squamish. CT scanners use "X-ray computed tomography" to take detailed medical images in "slices," allowing doctors to generate a three-dimensional image of the inside of a person.
"This requires your MDs to spend time communicating with the LGH emergency department instead of caring for other patients. It also ties up the Sea to Sky's already very limited BC Ambulance resources, adds a further delay to your diagnosis and adds another burden on the ED physicians at Lions Gate Hospital to unnecessarily duplicate your assessment," Cranston said. Patients also need to find their own way home from the hospital in North Vancouver.
Without CT capability, it will be very difficult to recruit new specialists to town, according to Cranston.
He told The Chief that VCH has been aware of the need for a CT since "well before" a CT was put in Whistler for the 2010 Olympics—it was installed thanks to $1.4 million donation by General Electric as part of its support for the Games.
Vancouver Coastal Health told The Chief in an emailed statement that it is committed to providing comprehensive healthcare services and support to residents of the Sea to Sky corridor.
"As part of the Coastal Community of Care, Squamish General Hospital works in collaboration with Lions Gate Hospital to share some clinical services and medical imaging," the statement reads.
"As part of its ongoing population-based health-care planning, VCH will continue to engage its staff and medical staff at Squamish General Hospital to ensure appropriate access to clinical services and medical imaging is available for the delivery of safe, quality patient care."
