B.C. family shares agonizing wait for care as concern for child’s eyesight mounts
When Noel Nikitiuk turned four months old, his mother sensed there might be an issue with his vision. By that age, the infant should have been able to begin tracking objects and faces.
“We’ve been waiting 18 months for something that should take weeks,” said Quesnel from the family’s home in Port Coquitlam. Early diagnosis and treatment of brain and eye issues is essential, before children’s brains lose elasticity and become more set in adaptations to impairments. Noel’s doctors say his vision loss could be halted or even reversed with the right combination of surgery and supports like eye-patching or glasses.
Noel is just one of many children with chronic and complex health conditions whose care is being delayed as British Columbia’s health-care system tries to keep up with a staffing crisis amidst a surge of COVID-19, flu and RSV cases. But the sole qualified technologist at BC Children’s became ill during the pandemic in 2020 and never returned to work, Quesnel was told. She says she has seen the job posted four separate times on the Provincial Health Services Authority’s website since her son’s referral was made last year. The test for adults, meanwhile, can be performed within a week, Quesnel was told by doctors.
Quesnel pointed out many qualified people may not wish to stay in Vancouver or move to B.C. for casual work when the cost of living is so high, but Page did not comment on why one of the roles was casual when asked. Quesnel has asked Noel’s doctors several times to refer him for a test in Alberta or Washington state, but the request has been rejected by the health authority and province because the service is technically offered in B.C. The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto told Quesnel in a phone call it could perform next-day tests, but the province won’t cover travel to Ontario or the test itself, which requires a referral.
One of Noel’s doctors said the symptoms the child presents are something she’s never seen in her career. Without the test, Noel’s doctors have told Quesnel the only other option for diagnosis would be open brain surgery to investigate his condition. But that carries serious risks of stroke and damage, and doctors don’t yet recommend it.
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