Covid Patients Before Cancer Patients

[dave50]

Why are covid patients given preference over life threatening cancer patients? Why are eighty or ninety year olds with covid receiving treatment yet there are those a lot younger with cancer having treatment postponed? Isn't it time, with finite resources, that age should be a factor when deciding who to to treat with any life threatening illness?

[derek-33]

i totally agree !

[SparklyKid]

Good question. I have no answer.

[Prudie]

I also agree dave but from what I've read on here over the months from the bangers on is covid is a worth death than cancer - apparently.

[Buenchico]

A better question might be 'why are cancer treatments actually being postponed anyway?'

I had 10 session of chemotherapy, spread over 7 months, during the pandemic. Everything went ahead normally for me, as it was clearly doing so for many other cancer patients too. (The only change was that a couple of treatment sessions got moved to a private hospital a few miles up the road from the NHS one).

I then had 37 sessions of radiotherapy, which also went exactly as planned (as it was doing for many other patients too).

So, if Ipswich Hospital can keep cancer services running normally during the pandemic, why can't other hospitals too?

[barry1010]

Cancer patients are being treated in Dudley and Birmingham, too.

[Sqad]

No problem dave.

Pick your age limit over60,s over 70,s over 80,s contact your MP and BMA and formulate a health policy which would preclude the age groups in which Covid cases were not afforded treatment.
It may come to that.

As for cancer treatment and diagnosis, my contacts tell me that it is not being impaired....anecdotally.
On a personal note, years ahead and looking back, it wouldn't surprise me to find that the survival rate of cancer patients was not affected.

[ummmm]

I really think it's more about the death. Someone in their 90s could die of natural causes or an underlying illness that is being managed. Covid sounds like an awful death. Plus they are contagious.

I suppose much comes down to individual hospitals and how they are run. I've had 2 hospital stays during lockdown and my treatment was the same as before Covid reared it's ugly head.

I was told to not hesitate calling 999 if any of my symptoms return.

[teacake44]

I've lost track of how many times this question has been asked over the last 10/11 months, but fair enough may be you've missed them all. My answer is still the same, pandemics create lots of ( big ) problems, in some areas bigger than others. But add to that the neglect of the NHS over the past few years, and the staff shortages that are self inflicted, then a pandemic becomes a bigger problem by the day.

[Sqad]

dave........let's be fair here, re life span of cancer patients versus lifespan of "oldies "

Cancer survival rates are calculated over 5 years and many "oldies" particularly in the 70s and 80s can better that.
So why not save the "oldies?"

[Tyrion44]

You might think differently as you get older

[Zacs-Master]

So, Dave, you'd propose to turn 80 / 90 year olds with Covid away from hospital?

the stupidity of the OP belies the profound misunderstanding of the situation (a Pandemic) by many people, despite us nearing a year of being told.

[iluvmargie]

dave doesn't like the elderly, judging by his threads.

[ummmm]

Exactly, Zacs, turn them away and let them infect loads more people.

[pixie374]

Sqad, my BIL in 50s has died from cancer treatment being stopped for covid. Plus a client in her 60s from having her kidney dialysis reduced, then stopped, due to covid.
We seem to be longer triaging, but worrying only about covid.

[Sqad]

pixie
///////Sqad, my BIL in 50s has died from cancer treatment being stopped for covid. //////

Oi!.that is a sweeping statement my love....not like you at all.

[Prudie]

There is reliable evidence all over the media that confirms cancer diagnosis and treatment has been reduced during the pandemic. At least acknowledge that before calling dave etc stupid. Maybe he has personal experience that makes this a particularly sore topic for him.

[teacake44]

As I've said before, 40 thousand nurses short to run a successful NHS and that's not counting doctors. No ones fault only government. Matt Hancock keeps on insisting that 13 thousand new nurses have joined the NHS, what he don't tell you is that was a figure before the pandemic started during 2019, most of them have left. :0)

[Sqad]

Prudie.

Reduction in cancer treatment does not necessarily mean reduction in survival rates............it might........but not necessarily.

[Barsel]

I believe it really depends where in the country you live and which hospitals are near to where you go for treatment.

/// ummmm I suppose much comes down to individual hospitals and how they are run. I've had 2 hospital stays during lockdown and my treatment was the same as before Covid reared it's ugly head.
I was told to not hesitate calling 999 if any of my symptoms return.///
ummmm absolutely agree with you. I have also had 2 admissions the last one was over Christmas and I wasn't even ill, just had a problem with abnormal blood test results , but no problem for them to take me in and find a bed for me.

[bobbinwales]

Your not comparing like with like dave 50. Anyone who is 1-2 weeks ago from a seriously horrible painful illness and likely death will be admitted whether its covid or a life threatning RTA or a heart attack or brain tumour or liver failure so long as there is a prospect of saving them. What does after happen when the NHS is overstretched like now is some less urgent treatments get postponed until more beds and doctors are available and its safer to put the cancer treatment patient in hospital when staff and buildings contain a deadly virus