Committee members believe there are cases where the boards have been too strict in interpreting the Medical Travel Policy. Residents of small communities do not have the same access to the health care systems as residents of urban centres. If they do not agree with the diagnosis of health care professionals in their home communities or if they want a second opinion, they have no choice but to travel outside their community.
However, if the health care professional will not authorize medical travel for the patient to go to another centre, the patient has no choice but to cover all those costs themselves. Even if the patient's complaint or concern is borne out at this other facility, the regional health board will not reimburse the patient due to the lack of a medical referral.
This is unfair. Committee members realize that the health care providers in the communities do the best they can with the resources they have, but they can make misdiagnoses. Everywhere else in Canada patients can easily get a second opinion. Unfortunately, in some of our communities this cannot be done without leaving the community and bearing considerable expense. There needs to be some common sense applied to the interpretation of the Medical Travel Policy.
Members believe that there has to be a second opinion or "escape clause" in the Medical Travel Policy. If the patient does not agree with the diagnosis of the health care professional in their home community and travel to another community and receives immediate treatment, the patient should be eligible for compensation. Members also would like to see an appeal mechanism that allows the patient to appeal the decision of the board to the Minister.
Members were pleased to note that the Minister agreed that there might be circumstances that would warrant the repayment of medical travel expenses and that she was willing to examine the Medical Travel Policy. Members look forward to further discussion with the Minister on this issue in the near future.
On a related note, committee members believe that the department and boards must monitor medical travel costs in each community to ensure that they do not eclipse the costs of placing a doctor in the community. This is an issue that is of particular concern to the residents of Rae-Edzo.