The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the healthcare systems all across the world and this has increased the concerns about its subsequent impact on non-COVID disease conditions. The management and diagnosis of cancer is time-sensitive and is likely to be affected by these disruptions.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care in India:
Amid this pandemic, it is a well-known fact that patients with cancer are more vulnerable to coronavirus infection and its complications has led to new challenges in managing cancer care delivery systems in the country.
- Although restrictions were downscaled in a phased manner from June 2020, and hospitals like Tata Memorial came with a ray of hope by operating 494 major cases in 5 weeks.
- There is still a huge backlog of patients with cancer who need urgent care.
- Apart from these oncology issues, the primary health care in rural areas also took a hit, as most of the ground-level healthcare workers (like, accredited social health activists) were directed toward pandemic care, leaving none for cancer screening activities.
- Not only for the patients but even for the healthcare managers (like, hospitals, doctors, nurses) it was difficult to manage the situation that has arisen due to COVID-19.
On the one hand, with the increased burden of patients with COVID-19, the hospitals are already stressed and on the other hand, the management of the backlog cases has created a mammoth task for them. Hence the hospitals not only need to take precautionary measures like (wearing personal protective equipment), but also need to follow minimalistic rules (eg, reducing the number of attendants with each patient, reducing the number of visitors for inpatients, and using online or telephonic routes for routine follow-up).
The COVID-19 pandemic 2020-2021 will be called a dark the ages not for one nation, one entity but for this entire world. COVID-19 has created so much fear and anxiety not only for one’s life but for the life of their loved ones, colleagues and mankind. The fear of contacting disease and dying of it is immediate and other non-covid diseases like cancer that can kill you but it gives you time before death because of its slow progress to advancement. So, diseases like cancer have been put to the back of mind. We are seeing patients in stages 3 and 4 and it is numbing, it gives us the feelings are numbed and we don’t really know how to treat such patients or when the treatment will be done. Patients do complain that they had a lump for 2 years but because of the COVID they couldn’t come, said Dr. Ramesh Sarin, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals
Here’s Expert Speak:
Expert Speak: Impact Of COVID-19 On Cancer Care In India
Expert- Dr. Ramesh Sarin, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals @HospitalsApollo#Covid19 #Cancer #Cancercare #Coronavirus #pandemic https://t.co/X5FbPmJp8f pic.twitter.com/hdk0hC1JoE
— Healthwire (@HealthwireMedia) July 7, 2021