UPDATE: 4 p.m. With the provincial election expected to be held within the next four months, B.
C.'s Health Minister travelled to Kelowna Thursday to brag about the progress his government has made after one year of their 10-year cancer plan. But despite not making any new funding announcements, Dix denied the suggestion that the press conference was simply a photo op ahead of the election.
“It's absolutely the contrary of that,” Dix said. “This is a 10-year cancer plan which we delivered, in our budget we delivered a very significant new investment and we're adding services all the time, including here. “But what this is, is saying to people, you make a 10-year cancer announcement, people deserve to know what's happened.
So this is a detailed report on what we're doing.” He noted that 34,000 people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in B.C.
this year, and that number is expected to increase to 45,000 in 2034 as the population increases. In the year since the 10-Year Cancer Care Action Plan was announced, 92 cancer-care physicians have been hired in the province, including 71 oncologists, along with 32 additional radiation therapists. Dix also spoke about how more British Columbians have been treated in the past year, with increases in medical oncology and radiation oncology consultations, along with more chemotherapy treatment starts, radiation treatments and urgent cancer surgeries.
“In really difficult times, our healthcare teams have just been exceptional.
