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Covid hits cancer care for children worldwide
Thu, 4 March 2021
The pandemic has had a “substantial” impact on childhood cancer care worldwide, with a marked rise in the number of patients abandoning treatment altogether, new research showed on March 4.
Covid-19 has placed huge pressure on hospitals and healthcare systems, particularly in developing nations, as most medical facilities have been inundated with Covid-19 patients.
A global assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on paediatric cancer care showed that care was affected at 78 per cent of hospitals.
Almost half (43 per cent) reported diagnosing fewer new cases than expected, while 34 per cent reported a rise in the number of patients who stopped treatment.
A Consultant Ocular Oncologist, Dr Abia Nzelu, has decried the growing incidences of cancer disease and the poor attention being given to it in Nigeria.
Nzelu, also Executive Secretary, Mass Medical Mission (MMM) in charge of cancer care, made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
The expert also said that dearth of cancer management centres was responsible for the increased rate of people going abroad for medical attention, and its prevalence in Nigeria.
According to her, the dearth of cancer management centres has negative implications on the awareness against the disease prevention and cure.