Home / Health / Brain Tumor Patient Asked to Crowdfund Medical Travel
Brain Tumor Patient Asked to Crowdfund Medical Travel
8 Jan
Summary
- Patient denied travel costs for out-of-province specialized surgery.
- Health Minister's office suggested charities and crowdfunding.
- Patient seeks provincial coverage for necessary medical travel.
A Saskatoon woman who underwent brain tumor removal in Edmonton is advocating for Saskatchewan to cover patient travel costs for specialized out-of-province medical care. Tammy O'Brien, 54, had a benign acoustic neuroma removed via gamma knife radiosurgery, a procedure not offered in Saskatchewan.
Despite the province covering O'Brien's surgery, it refused to pay for her $854 travel and accommodation expenses. O'Brien expressed feeling humiliated and dismissed after staff in the Health Minister's office suggested she seek help from charities or resort to crowdfunding.
The NDP Opposition is calling for an apology to O'Brien and for the province to cover her medical travel bill, arguing that increasing numbers of residents are forced to travel for care, indicating systemic healthcare failures.
