Health Minister Terry Lake sat down with the last remaining Kamloops dermatologist on Friday to discuss the province鈥檚 shortage of skin specialists.
But he rebuffed the B.C. Medical Association鈥檚 (BCMA) head of dermatology, who flew to Kamloops for the express purpose of joining the meeting.
鈥淚鈥檝e been trying to meet with somebody in the ministry of health for a long, long time . . . so it鈥檚 not like they鈥檙e just hearing from me for the first time,鈥� said Coquitlam鈥檚 Dr. Evert Tuyp. 鈥淚 just can鈥檛 get an audience.鈥�
Lake said he turned Tuyp away because he wanted to have an informal discussion with someone he knows personally and trusts to broaden his understanding of the issue rather than an official political meeting.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to get into the politics of meeting with every specialty group 鈥� I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 the minister鈥檚 role,鈥� said Lake.
But every other specialty isn鈥檛 in the same precarious boat as dermatology, said Tuyp.
B.C. dermatologists are the lowest paid skin specialists in the country and that鈥檚 causing a shortage that Tuyp says will shortly hit crisis proportions.
鈥淲hen it gets to the point that the patients are suffering . . . that鈥檚 nasty,鈥� said Tuyp.聽
The province has 24 vacant positions and if all remains the same, the worst is yet to come, said Tuyp.
The lone Kamloops dermatologist, Dr. Dick Lewis, has de-enrolled from the Medical Services Plan in protest.
Lewis could not be reached for comment.
Tuyp said he and Lewis both insist that the province needs to influence the BCMA into negotiating better terms for skin specialists.
Lake said he鈥檚 aware of the problems retaining dermatologists in B.C. and he鈥檚 hopeful that the province, the BCMA and dermatology representatives can meet in the near future.
He said he鈥檚 aware that as the population ages, issues such as malignant skin disease increase and dermatologists are best at addressing those needs.
鈥淏ut there鈥檚 limited funds, as we know 鈥� we鈥檙e trying to make health-care costs sustainable,鈥� said Lake.
Tuyp said the province鈥檚 contention that there isn鈥檛 the money is 鈥減enny wise and pound foolish.鈥�
鈥淨uite frankly, not having enough dermatologists is more expensive than having enough,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 bad medicine.鈥�
That鈥檚 because people with skin problems won鈥檛 sit around waiting for a solution if they or their children are up all night with itching, burning or painful skin night after night.
They鈥檒l keep trying to get a remedy at family doctors, pediatricians, walk-in clinics or hospital emergency rooms.
Lake said each medical specialty could make the same claim.
鈥淭here are ways, I guess, that there could be increased costs to the system, but those are really tough things to try to get the bottom line on,鈥� said Lake.
Tuyp said he鈥檒l continue to try to impart the urgency of the situation to the province and the BCMA and Lake鈥檚 rebuff 鈥渏ust stiffens my resolve.鈥�
鈥淚 have to redouble my efforts because obviously the message isn鈥檛 getting through,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd if the message doesn鈥檛 get through, the people of B.C. are going to have problems with dermatologic care.鈥�
