It's not the system itself that gives us cause for concern. Of course Ontario has some very good oncologists. The problem is more that patients do not have access to new technologies because of the costs of some new drugs. Earlier, for instance, someone mentioned Avastin, or bevacizumab. This drug is used to treat colorectal cancer and down the road, it could be used to treat lung and breast cancers.
However, this drug costs approximately $35,000. Accordingly, when the drug was reviewed, it was noted that the survival time in this case was approximately 4.6 months. The cost of the drug is weighed against the survival time. You have heard testimony to the effect that giving a patient an additional 4.6 months does not justify the $35,000 cost of the drug.
Personally, I underwent surgery and received treatment in the United States. However, if I hadn't had access to this first category of drugs, I wouldn't have been able to receive the follow-up treatment. Treatment is what it is. However, some people survive much longer. In my case, I was given a 30% chance of surviving in 1995, and that was almost 12 years ago.