B.C. cancer patients will no longer go to U.S. for treatment, province announces [Video]

Cancer patients in British Columbia will no longer be referred to clinics in Bellingham, Wash., for care, Health Minister Josie Osborne announced Monday.

Osborne says the ministry’s decision was not a result of the current U.S.-Canada trade war but due to declining participation in the program and shorter wait times for care in B.C.

“This has always been about delivering more cancer care for people closer to home,” she said.

“The investments we’ve made in more oncologists, more radiation therapy, therapists, improving hospital facilities, that’s what’s been able to enable us to reduce those wait times.”

WATCH | How much does the U.S. cancer treatment plan cost B.C.? The B.C. government is now sharing how much it’s costing taxpayers to send cancer patients to the U.S. for treatment. British Columbia has among the highest wait times for radiation therapy in Canada. As Katie DeRosa reports, it’s sparked yet another debate …