Concern over cancer treatment as some screening stays subdued
Covid-19 pandemic saw preventive screening for cancer plummet worldwide as healthcare facilities restricted access to care, and patients delayed non-urgent visits to GPs and specialists
Cancer screening has yet to recover to the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic, heralding a future increase in late diagnosis with worse outcomes for patients, medical scheme administrator Momentum Health Solutions (MHS) warned on Monday.
The pandemic saw preventive screening for cancer plummet worldwide as healthcare facilities restricted access to care, and patients delayed non-urgent visits to GPs and specialists. Healthcare experts have warned since the outset of the pandemic that delaying tests used for early detection, particularly for cancers that are asymptomatic in their early stages, would see patients diagnosed at a more severe stage of their illness, with effects on their prognosis and treatment costs. Medical schemes are obliged by law to cover preventive screening tests for cancers of the breast, cervix, colon and prostate...
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