Letter From Mr Abbott

Dear Ms Spence Thank you for your letter of November 30, 2006, regarding weight loss surgery. Minister Abbott has asked mr to respond to you directly. I apologize in the delay in responding. I can assure you that the Ministry of Health acknowledges morbid obesity as a serious health issue, and I empathize with your frustration with the wait time for your surgery. However, ther are two challenges that people waiting for this surgery are facing right now. First is the volume of surgeries now being done in this province. Advance in technology now make surgery an option for many patients who previously would not have been candidates for surgery. As a result, the demand for all surgical procedures, from hip and knee replacement to cataract surgery, continues to grow at a rate much faster than the growth in the population of the province. Second, with bariatric surgery, as you may know, the surgical procedure is only part of a comprehensive process involving a wide range of professional services-a fact that contributes to the wait time for this procedure. Surgical intervention is considered a last resort for people who have previously tried other forms of medical weight loss managment including diet modification, increased physical activity, behavioural modification or medications. Care involves comprehensive pre-surgery work that can take up to a year to complete, and extensive post-surgery follow up, possibly life-long. Facilities undertaking this type of surgery require not only skilled medical/surgical team committed to this extensive pre and post operative involvment, but specialized equipment to properly care for patients. A further complication is that bariatric surgery is considered to be high risk due to the additional health problems that often accompany morbid obesity. Surgical priority is determined by a patient`s medical status as assessed by the surgeon and other physicians involved. For all non-emergency surgery, surgeons have their own waitlists, and some are longer than others. Specialists and facilities priortize patient appointments based on the relative urgency of the requests received and waiting times for specialists vary considerably between physicians. While I appreciate your frustration with your present situation, it is important to recognize that the Ministry cannot make operational decisions for hospitals such as the assignment of operating room time. This is a matter between a hospital and physicians working there. Please keep in mind , there are only a small number of physicians in British Columbia who perform bariatric surgery for obesity; therefore, patients may have longer wait times in obtaining this surgery. As you may know, the Vancouver Coastal Authority is currently discussing the program requirment and costa associated with performing bariatric surgery with the Regional Surgery Executive Council. Together , they will determine the most appropriate location for the program. I appreciate you taking the time to write to the Ministry about this issue. Sincerely, Rebecca Harvey Executive Director Well everyone, thats it. Alot of my questions were not answered But at least they wrote back. Sharon

Hi Sharon, Although this letter does sound the very same to others that have been received by Rebecca Harvey I do notice the paragraph that says: "As you may know, the Vancouver Coastal Authority is currently discussing the program requirment and costa associated with performing bariatric surgery with the Regional Surgery Executive Council. Together , they will determine the most appropriate location for the program." To me that sounds like they now know the program will go a head they just need to figure out where. Previous responses have said they are in the interim of discussing the program. If you read between the lines it sounds very promising. Elaine