First, it was oncologists voicing their concern about patient care. Now, scientists at the research arm of the BC Cancer Agency are sounding the alarm about an environment they say is eating away at staff morale and the institute's global reputation.
In a letter to Carl Roy, the CEO of the Provincial Health Services Authority, which oversees the research centre, eight scientists offer a stinging assessment of how far a program once held in high regard internationally has declined.
"A decade ago, we were able to recruit world-class researchers but partly due to a hiring freeze this is no longer the case and we have actually lost a handful of world-renowned scientists that have not been replaced," says the Nov. 13 document obtained by The Globe and Mail.
"The long-standing salary freeze and the lack of a competitive remuneration policy exacerbates this staffing crisis."
The scientists lament that the lack of a defined annual budget for research makes planning impossible. They say cost-cutting measures have eroded "the efficacy of our operation and the continuing interim nature of the [vice-president of research] has handcuffed his ability to impose meaningful strategic changes."
The scientists say research at the agency "is stymied" as a result of what they termed "administrative paralysis."
"This is exemplified by the presence of obstacles surrounding the administration of grant funds, equipment procurement, core facility maintenance and HR policies that are cumbersome and inappropriate for a research environment," they said.
It echoes a letter three leading oncologists sent to Mr. Roy earlier. It read: "In our view, it is not possible to continue to provide quality care and research under the existing conditions."
The main part of the research agency's funding – $80-million a year – comes from external grants and donations through the BC Cancer Foundation. The province gives only about $9-million, and yet the health authority gets to govern the research program and establish its operating policies. If the scientists are to be believed, the authority is doing a horrible job.
Most top cancer research operations are not governed this way. The best ones have their own dedicated board. Also, the premier cancer research bodies have international scientific advisory panels that offer input into the overall direction of the institution. I'm told a request for just such a panel from scientists at the BC Cancer Research Centre was turned down.
Globe and Mail stories documenting the downward spiral of the BCCA were recently the focus of an article on the internationally recognized health website Medscape.
The piece, entitled The Decline of a Top Cancer Agency, states that the foundation of BCCA's success is crumbling as patient waits increase, staff workloads soar, oncologists quit in disgust and burnout becomes the norm.
Last week, administrators from both the cancer agency and the health authority said at a meeting they called to discuss The Globe's revelatory stories on this issue that a request has been made to the government to hire an unspecified number of new cancer doctors and support workers. Also, other measures are being enacted to address many of the complaints that those working in the cancer field have made known.
In the meantime, a search is under way for a new head of the agency, because the last one just quit after barely two years. His predecessor did not even last that long. Many who work at BCCA trace the downward spiral of the agency to the decision in 2001 to put it under the control of the health authority.
It is hard to believe the authority and the provincial government could have allowed matters to reach this point. The complaints that have bubbled to the surface recently have been known for some time, yet little was done to address them. Frankly, it is only been media exposure that has helped make the problems a bigger priority recently.
Now, it is unlikely someone with a stellar reputation in the field would want the top job, which has been down-graded in title to vice-president from president. It's also difficult for B.C. to compete with the salaries offered for similar positions in other jurisdictions.
The provincial health minister seems to be getting all his information on what is going on from the authority, which has a vested interest in glossing over the real issues inside the agency. Minister Terry Lake would be advised to get an independent authority to take a deeper look at exactly what is going on, because it appears things are very bad.
Gary Mason