Faulty linear accelerator hampers cancer treatment at Cornwall Regional Hospital

Cancer patients and medical personnel at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), Montego Bay, are calling on the Ministry of Health and Wellness to address the deficiencies that are preventing the hospital’s oncology department from meeting its obligations.

According to the patients and doctors The Gleaner spoke to during a visit to the hospital last Thursday, the cancer treatment centre, which was opened in 2017, has been without a functioning linear accelerator machine (LINAC) since January this year, which is preventing the timely treatment of cancer patients, resulting in a backlog.

“Both the machine here and the one at St Joseph’s Hospital (Kingston) are not working, and we have not seen any new patients,” a doctor, who is familiar with the situation but does not want to be identified, said. “…. The technology department from Kingston changed the server, but without the licence we cannot manage the machine.”

However, Health and Wellness Minister Christopher Tufton said that while the LINACs at both the CRH and St Joseph’s Hospital have required some maintenance, cancer treatments are still being offered.

“My understanding is that both locations are serving patients, and the LINACs are working. They have had up and down times since the start of the year, as the overseas company that services them recently changed the control boards or some major piece of equipment, but they are treating patients,” said Tufton.

NOT AT OPTIMAL BEST

“They are not at their optimal best, but they are treating patients, so it would not be true to say they have been down since January,” insisted Tufton. “One of the challenges we face is the overseas servicing, because we do not have the local expertise for that. If there is an issue, even if it is a minor issue, normally someone has to fly into the country to service the machines, which is why we are looking at leasing options as opposed to purchasing with service warranties.”

A LINAC machine is used to customise high-energy X-rays to conform to a tumour’s shape and destroy cancer cells, while sparing the surrounding normal tissue. The CRH and the Kingston-based St Joseph’s Hospital house the only two LINAC machines available for cancer treatment in the public health sector.

One doctor, who asked not to be identified, said if the machine is to become functional, the medical team would need to purchase a new licence for it.

“If the machine were working, we would be able to care for between 30 and 40 patients per day,” the doctor said. “We have our waiting list going until June, and we have three months of backlog. The Ministry of Health is saying that they do not have money for the maintenance contract.”

We were the only department during the COVID-19 pandemic that never took any leave, because the cancer patients were dying every day, and now it has been four months and we are not doing anything. The private facilities would charge up to $4 million for the same treatment we offer for free here,” the doctor said.

A cancer patient who receives treatment at CRH, and who also requested anonymity, agreed with the allegations made by the doctors.

“For four months now the machine there has been down, and we need to sensitise the Government that something needs to be done,” the patient said. “It is a grave situation happening there, because you have simple persons who cannot afford any other treatment. And people can go in off the street and into the hospital and get it done free, but nothing has been happening there for four months now.”