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Letter: Wait times at Trail lab are unacceptable

Letter to the Editor from Ken Schroeder of Warfield
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“The powers that be need to hire more staff for the Trail laboratory,” writes Ken Schroeder. Photo: Unsplash

Booking blood lab appointments seems to be getting even more difficult.

I am an oncology patient in my fourth year of cancer surveillance. I have a sequence of pre-dated requisitions, and I must have my lab work done as closely as possible to the date on my requisitions.

I recently phoned the booking line to make the appointment at the Trail lab and the earliest appointment I could get was six weeks away and there was nothing they could do about it.

I phoned my cancer nurse at St. Paul’s in Vancouver and she said it was ridiculous and unacceptable. She suggested I try the walk-in approach and I did so, but was told they were understaffed and were not taking walk-ins that day and to come back another day.

Everyone I talked to agreed that this is all unacceptable — especially the six-week wait, and that if they are backed up so far why don’t they open on the weekends?

Once I did get in, I was informed that the lab itself could hold only so many patients at a time, anyway.

I’m glad the hospitals don’t keep the same hours as the labs do.

Obviously, the powers that be need to expand their lab facility and hire more staff for the Trail laboratory.

Ken Schroeder,

Warfield

Read more: Seniors group tackles wait times at Trail medical lab

Read more: Trail medical lab makes changes amid pandemic



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Sheri Regnier

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