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March 27, 1987) News O85-2131  Chissified 980-6

Heart unit
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NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

THE LIGHTS of downtown Vancouver greet passengers travelling on tiie SeaBus from North Vancouver. Colorful sunsets have been bountiful in
recent weeks and one of the best places to observe them is from the SeaBus.

PATIENTS WAT WEEKS FOR TREATMENT

PATIENTS at Lions Gate Hospital have had to wait up to
two weeks for an urgent heart diagnostic treatment not

available locally.

Hospital president John Bor-
thwick said North Shose coronary
patients must wait for space to
become available in Vancouver
hospitals, which are equipped with
cardiac catheterization units.

For the past three years LGH
has lobbied the provincial gov-
ernment for such a facility, which
helps doctors detect heart disease
and aids them in determining the
appropriate treatment.

“We've put the case forward,
but things have been very tight for
new expenditures in health care,"’
Borthwick said Tuesday.

‘"'m pretty confident, because

By KIM PEMBERTON
New Reporter

when they were putting the money
together for the forthcoming fiscal
year (beginning April 1) it sounded
as if they were putting the money
in for it.”

But Ken Fairburn, a spokesman
with the Ministry of Health, said
the government is waiting for a
formal proposal from LGil.

“Informally they have asked for
one, but we can’t make an evalua-
tion until we receive a formal pro-
posal,’’ he said.

Fairburn said the ministry re-
quested the proposal one mont
ago. He said the proposal must
detail such information as expected
workload, staffing and yearly
costs.

Borthwick estimates the cost of
such a unit at $250,000, and the
annual operating costs at $100,000.

“It would need a couple of
technologists and expensive
catheters...that’s what has slowed
us down — the operating costs,”
said Borthwick.

LGH cardiologist Dr. Ken Woo
said many local patients could
benefit from such a unit. He noted
that between 500 and 600 patients
are admitted yearly to the hospi-

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