Blog 8: Canadian Cancer Patients Get Weak Doses of Chemotherapy

          This article informs the public about cancer patients receiving lower than normal doses of chemotherapy in Canada.  Close to 1,200 patients received these feeble doses of chemotherapy to treat their ongoing illnesses.  The government agency, Cancer Care Ontario, reported that 990 patients were affected at 4 different hospitals and another 186 patients were under dosed at a main hospital in New Brunswisk, Canada.  The supplier of these affected drugs was identified to be Marchese Hospital Solutions.  A spokesperson for the supplier extended the company's deepest apologies and stated that chemotherapy preparation and delivery was such a complex process that there were sources for potential error.  The spokesperson also stated that they had put in many sources to minimize the potential for error and that the company would continue to do so.  The problem with the drugs was first identified by a pharmacy technician.  The consequences for the patients remained unidentified as it was said that each patient and each treatment is different.  The under dosing was estimated to be between 3% and 20% less than what it should have been.  The patients and their families are being notified of this situation.
          This article is very important as it raises concerns about how potentially life-saving drugs are handled.  Although the article did not elaborate on the patients' reactions, it can be inferred when patients depend on medical teams and suppliers to provide them with the best possible care.  It is not the doctor's fault in this situation, however the doctors could see consequences when it comes to their credibility for relying on this supplier of medicine.  Internationally, this could cause upset to many people as quality health care is a system of trust in a way.  Patients rely on their doctors and medical team to do everything they can to make them better and if the suppliers supporting the doctors are not doing their part, then people could begin to have concerns about the health care they are receiving in general.  This is a very unfortunate situation and hopefully the patients who were under dosed will not be subjected to further health risks from this one mishap.  It is understandable that nothing is perfect, but hopefully drug suppliers can use this situation to reevaluate their processes for monitoring the drugs that they supply to hospitals in order to prevent future occurrences
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Jessilyn Bulla
March 5, 2013
3:25 am
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/02/health/canada-patients-under-dosed/index.html?hpt=he_c2