Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in New Brunswick, and endoscopies are key in diagnosing the disease.
But more than 7,000 New Brunswickers are on the wait list to receive an endoscopy.
“The sooner you can do detection, the better that helps you reduce hospitalizations and provide better care to patients,” said Premier Susan Holt.
The New Brunswick government announced it will invest up to $30 million to construct a new endoscopy suite at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital in Moncton. This will create five more endoscopy rooms, which brings the total number of rooms at the hospital to 12.
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The procedure has a tube, which has a camera on the end, inserted down a patient’s throat, which allows a doctor to see inside their digestive track.
“The first time you can find a cancer is by direct visualization of biopsy. You can’t do that short of having an endoscope,” said Health Minister John Dornan.
“Most GI cancers will be diagnosed with this type of instrument. We do X-rays, MRIs, blood tests but the proof is in the pudding here.”
Holt says the new rooms are expected to be completed by 2029 as part of ongoing renovations at the hospital.
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