Dwight Gardiner, a Summerside, P.E.I. man who has been living with cancer since 2018, says the Canadian health-care system is not keeping up with those who live in rural areas.

Gardiner has multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that affects one in 2,500 Canadians. It is not curable, but treatments can improve a patient's quality of life.

"When I was first diagnosed in 2018, I had to go to Moncton — off-Island — to see a hematologist to get diagnosed and I started my treatment there," he said i…