The provincial government has extended a medical travel program for individuals undergoing cancer care including radiation therapy in B.C. 

Government first announced the Cancer Travel and Accommodation Services B.C. program in September 2023 and has now put another $20 million over two years toward the program. 

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the program will benefit individuals who travel from rural and remote communities to one of B.C.'s six cancer centres. 

"Travel programs for me are an important part of ensuring that the public health care system is truly universal," he said. "It's so difficult to go and get radiation therapy, which is a brutal treatment in any event and tough on you, so our job is to make it easier." 

The program served 1,398 cancer patients, disproportionately older individuals, from 249 communities during its first year of existence, according to government figures. 

"I can't speak to why the previous government didn't do stuff like this, but I can tell you it has been a priority for me," Dix said, when asked why this program only came into existence last year. "I am delighted with the first year and this why we are providing $20 million more here to make this program even better." 

Dix said the extended funding builds on the first $10 million toward Canadian Cancer Society as partner organization as well as $10 million going toward Hope Air offering medical travel including travel for cancer care. Government had announced the money for Hope Air at the same time as the money for CCS. 

"We wanted to see what the utilization was," Dix said. "It has been significant for (CSS). In the first year, they (CSS) will have used up the money, so we are pushing it forward and providing a further grant to keep it going. Hope Air hasn't yet, but we will be continuing to support that as well. So I expect this program will become ingrained in our cancer system." 

The initial round of money allowed CSS to expand the eligibility and benefits of its three travel programs: the Travel Treatment Fund providing grants to patients for travel expenses; the Wheels of Hope program matching patients with volunteer drivers; and the four lodges offering accommodation and meals for patients and their caregivers near cancer centres in Victoria, Vancouver, Kelowna and Prince George. 

For example, the funding allowed CCS to cut fees at its four lodges. Previously, patients had to pay $55 per night. The money also created a grant of up $4,000 for patients needing to relocate to Vancouver for leukemia/bone marrow transplants. 

The funding extension comes as government is working toward adding four new cancer centres (Burnaby, Kamloops, Nanaimo and Surrey) to the existing six facilities as part of a $270-million-plan, 10-year-plan to improve cancer care in B.C.

Dix added that the need for the program will likely decrease once the four new centres have come online because they will make cancer care accessible. "But in a general sense, this is what we should be doing to support people..and make life better at a really hard time in people's lives."

Even when B.C. has 10 centres, people will still have to travel some distances and stay elsewhere for a long time, he said. 

"So this makes a huge difference for people in the Kootenays, whose Interior Health cancer centre is in Kelowna," Dix. "But they are objectively a long way away. Or Fort Nelson or Terrance, where they would typically come down to Vancouver and stay for a period of time." 

This support program differs from the two-year program that currently sees B.C. pay for radiation therapy in Bellingham, covering about five per cent of cases.