The Alberta Medical Association says the provincial government needs to recruit more cancer oncologists to prevent more Albertans from dying while waiting for treatment.
Mark Agnew describes his father, Don, as a self-made man who built his own construction company from the ground up. But he believes it was his dad’s relationships with people that were his top priority.
Don Agnew, 69, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February 2023. He received the results of a biopsy, but never had a follow-up with an oncologist. Experts from the Alberta Medical Association say the number of oncologists in Alberta is not keeping pace with the province’s aging population and its surge of newcomers despite an increasing number of cancer cases.In Alberta, patients are often forced to wait months to see an oncologist before they can get started on cancer treatment. The target wait time is four weeks.
According to Alberta’s ministry of health, the province has recruited 17.2 full-time equivalent positions for 2024-25. Still, doctors don’t believe that tells the whole story. Alberta Health has said it is working with the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary to increase the number of undergraduate medical training seats and residency positions, which would enable more than 100 additional Alberta-trained physicians to practice annually.
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