Gyne-oncologists will still take patients, doc says

One of Newfoundland and Labrador's three gynecological oncologists said Wednesday the doctors would continue to accept patients diagnosed with reproductive cancers, despite their plans to resign in December.

Earlier in the day, the president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association said the cancer specialists had stopped accepting new patients, meaning women with gynecological cancers would have to leave the province to seek treatment. It was news that sparked fear in female cancer patients.

But Dr. Catherine Popadiuk said late Wednesday the doctors will see new patients because no alternative arrangements have been made for women who become diagnosed with cervical, ovarian or uterine cancers.

"We certainly are not turning away any new patients at this time," Popadiuk said. "At this time, as we accept new patients, it's going to be under the understanding that we might not be here to oversee the completion of your care."

The three specialists — Lesa Dawson, Cathy Popadiuk and Patti Power, all based in St. John's — previously set Sept. 16 as the day they would stop accepting new patients. The doctors had said they would resign in October, but have now pushed that deadline back to December.

The physicians have asked for increases in support staff and access to more operating-room time, as well as better remuneration. They say it is unfair their patients receive a lower quality of care than patients elsewhere in Canada.

Popadiuk met with Health Minister Ross Wiseman in an effort to discuss the gynecological oncologists' concerns, but declined to elaborate on whether progress was made. Wiseman wasn't available for comment.

It's estimated that 110 women in the province will be diagnosed with gynecological cancers this year, according to a 2008 report from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

About 1,200 women across the province currently rely upon the gynecological oncologists for a range of services, including treatment and surgery.

Popadiuk and her colleagues have argued that they do not have the resources and supports needed to give their thousands of patients the same standard of care they would receive elsewhere in the country.

The three gynecological oncologists are also paid less than colleagues across Canada, and significantly less than other oncologists in Newfoundland and Labrador.

CBC News has been told that meetings are being scheduled between government officials and the three physicians.

Speaking at a fundraiser for ovarian cancer awareness in early September, Popadiuk told CBC News that there has been progress with officials at Eastern Health, the authority that employs all of them. However, she said, there had been little progress in discussions with top government officials.