Letter to my MLA

My name is Janice xxxxxx. I am a 47 year old female who has been diagnosed as morbidly obese. My family physician, my endocrinologist and my surgeon concur that the recommended treatment is gastric bypass surgery. My GP referred me to Dr. Adam Meneghetti, at Vancouver General Hospital in July of this year. In October of this year, Dr. Meneghetti informed me that he did not know when he would be able to provide the recommended treatment due to the fact that the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA) has not authorized him to do so. In the province of BC there are currently two surgeons performing gastric Bypass surgery; Dr. Brad Amson and Dr. Conrad Rusnack. BC Surgical Wait Times data indicates that Dr. Amson has 584 patients waiting for general surgery and Dr. Rusnack has 154. The most recent Median Wait Time (in weeks), for each of them respectively is 90.1 weeks and 25 weeks. As per the British Columbia Medical Association, wait time in BC is calculated from the point at which the surgeon books the OR to the point at which the procedure is done. That means that the wait time does not include the 1 1/2 years (78 weeks) spent waiting to see the surgeon for the initial consult nor the months spent getting all the necessary pre-surgical testing done. It is not unusual for Dr. Amson's patients to have to wait over 4 years for surgical intervention. The British Columbia Medical Association recommends a maximum 6 month (24 weeks) waiting benchmark from GP referral to the provision of the service. As per section 12-1(a) of the Canada Health Act, in order to satisfy the criterion respecting accessibility, the health care insurance plan of a province must provide for insured health services on uniform terms and conditions and on a basis that does not impede or preclude, either directly or indirectly whether by charges made to insured persons or otherwise, reasonable access to those services by insured persons. Waiting 4 years for medical treatment is not "reasonable access". I have written to the VCHA and they have advised me that discussions around the possibility of performing gastric bypass, (bariatric) surgeries at another hospital in British Columbia are currently in the preliminary stages. They also state that they need to ensure success by developing a supporting program and infrastructure and that it is important that a thorough investigation and significant planning take place before any decisions are made. I don't disagree with them at all but I would like to know when they will be starting a bariatric program. I would like to know what you can do to assist me in my quest? In this day and age, it is hard to believe that someone can access surgery for their pet within days but it takes years to get surgery for people. Please contact me as soon as possible. I would really appreciate any assistance you can provide. Janice