COVID-19 has made it difficult to manage cancer care, says oncologist

Apr 27, 2020

New Delhi, Apr 28 (ANI): Amid the lockdown in the country, patients suffering with cancer are at a higher risk. Speaking about their condition, an oncologist in Delhi said due to COVID19 lockdown has become difficult to manage the cancer care delivery system. A recent report ‘Cancer Care Delivery Challenges Amidst Coronavirus Disease Outbreak’ published in the journal of Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention has pointed out that cancer patients are more susceptible to coronavirus. Dr Abhishek Shankar, assistant professor in the department of radiation oncology at Lady Hardinge Medical College said that coronavirus has made it difficult to manage the cancer care delivery system. “As we are having a lockdown in the whole country, patients can’t travel from one place to another. About 95 percent of the cancer care services are restricted to the urban areas but we also know that 70 percent of the people live in rural areas. So, there is a lot of disparity in cancer care. For cancer patients, stress is more disturbing for the patient rather than the cancer itself,” Dr Shankar told ANI. Furthermore, he suggested that persons suffering from cancer should get treated from nearby hospitals and try avoiding the delay.