Royal Inland announces radical cut in outpatient x-ray services

Yesterday, Royal Inland Hospital announced a radical cut in outpatient x-ray services, with no consultation with the community.

The hospital's x-ray technologists are raising the alarm that Royal Inland Hospital is putting patient services at risk.

"Royal Inland announced yesterday that starting Sunday, patients should no longer come to the hospital for routine outpatient x-rays," said Reid Johnson, President of the Health Sciences Association.

"Outpatient x-rays are a source of much-needed revenue for the hospital. And they want to give them away to the for-profit clinics? That's wrong."

Johnson said this move will also destabilize the x-ray staffing for the hospital. "X-ray technologists are highly-trained and in great demand. Cutting 150 scans a week will affect staffing at the hospital, and make it even more difficult to recruit x-ray technologists to Kamloops."

The region already has a serious recruitment problem with other medical imaging technologists, Johnson added. "This will continue to add to Royal Inland's problems - which, ultimately, may result in compromised care for the people of Kamloops."