Alberta cancer treatments could suffer with exodus of key staff, doctors warn

A group of two dozen Calgary physicians is warning the safety of cancer care and the ability to keep providing some treatments could be jeopardized with the resignation of a number of highly trained medical physicists in the radiation program at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre.

The doctors call the staff exodus "a devastating loss."

While the radiation oncologists have written a letter outlining their concerns, Alberta Health Services says patient care is not impacted and it is working to address the staffing shortage.

The letter, signed by 24 physicians, said multiple medical physicists, including the program director, have resigned in a short period of time primarily over pay and workload concerns.

Medical physicists play a key role in cancer treatment by ensuring the safety of complex radiation treatment machines, creating treatment plans and developing new techniques.

Their expertise is also needed to commission the state-of-the-art machines for the $1.4-billion Calgary Cancer Centre, set to open in 2023.

"We are concerned that we will be unable to provide our current standard of care, or indeed any treatment. The safety of our routine, daily cancer treatments are put at risk by a medical physics department that is understaffed, overworked and inexperienced," the letter stated.

The radiation oncologists said they're especially concerned about the ability to provide total body irradiation (used before stem cell transplants to treat leukemia and lymphoma) and brachytherapy (internal radiation treatments for gyneological, breast and prostate cancers) and that this exodus jeopardizes the vision for a "world class" program once the new Calgary Cancer Centre opens.

They noted Calgary is the only site in Alberta offering some of these treatments, including total body irradiation, and it receives referrals from Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

The doctors said these concerns have been raised before and they questioned whether the program will be ready to move into the long-awaited new cancer centre next year.

AHS urged the doctors involved not to talk to journalists — and to re-direct any requests to the media relations department — after the letter was leaked on social media. As a result, none of them agreed to an interview.

In a statement emailed to CBC News, AHS acknowledged it is experiencing staffing and recruitment challenges and said three medical physicists have resigned since last fall.

According to the health authority, four of 22 positions are vacant, including the director's job. It wouldn't say if temporary positions are included as part of its full contingent.

In addition, sources connected to the program tell CBC News two more full-time medical physicists have accepted positions elsewhere but have yet to leave.