Funding for cancer surgery of all different types could be in jeopardy in Windsor if local hospitals and surgeons don't stop performing a certain procedure.
Cancer Care Ontario directed Windsor hospitals to stop doing thoracic cancer surgery by Dec. 1, or face financial repercussions.
For more than three years, local hospitals have resisted calls from Cancer Care Ontario to discontinue thoracic cancer surgeries, for reasons they say are in the public interest.
But if they don't stop performing them by Dec. 1, it could impact all cancer care locally.
People with thoracic cancer in Windsor may soon have to travel to London for their care.
Windsor surgeon Dr. Michael Coughlin is worried it will impact service for patients locally.
“I'm very worried what will happen with cancer patients here,” Coughlin. “It will be more expensive, and I think there will be delays in diagnosis, treatment."
But CCO reps say Windsor doctors do not perform enough surgeries for the area to be considered a Level 1 centre, the closest to Windsor is in London.
"By shifting thoracic cancer surgeries to a high-volume thoracic surgery location we can ensure patients have access to cancer services that meet the highest quality standards," Cancer Care Ontario president Michael Sherar said in a statement.
Essex MPP Taras Natyshak is pressing the Minister of Health for answers.
"Is the minister going to allow this dispute to escalate to the point where Windsor patients lose access to cancer surgery?" Natyshak asked.
"I rely on advice of experts, including experts at cancer care ontario to ensure that those across ontario, including those in Windsor get the highest quality care," says Minister of Health Deb Matthews.
Back in May, Ken Deane, CEO of Hotel Dieu Grace at the time, sent a letter to Cancer Care Ontario indicating why area hospitals decided not to comply with a directive to stop that specific type of surgery.
His reasons were a lack of access, follow up care, complete loss of thoracic surgery service, and impact on trauma services in the region - all in the public interest.
But Sherar responded in September, saying:
“If an acceptable plan is not received by the CCO by December 1st 2013, all cancer surgery funding that had been provisionally allocated to HDGH/WRH for 2013/2014 will be reallocated to other hospitals in the region."
Coughlin calls that type of threat unethical.
"To hold back funding for breast and colon and gastric and prostate surgery treats those patients very unfairly," says Coughlin.
Hospital officials have said if that happens, they will be forced to absorb about $800,000 in funding cuts from CCO.
Coughlin says he'd like to see an exception, that Windsor be considered a level two provider.
Currently, three area surgeons perform 50 lung cancer and six esophageal cancer surgeries annually, which would put them within the Level 2.
Representatives from Windsor Regional Hospital declined to comment on Thursday, but sources say they are drafting a response letter to Cancer Care Ontario.
