(நமது நிருபர்) அரச சுகாதாரத் துறையில் கதிரியக்கச் சிகிச்சை சேவைகளில் ஏற்பட்டுள்ள பின்னடைவுகள் காரணமாக சுமார் 1,000 புற்றுநோய் நோயாளிகள் அத்தியாவசிய சிகிச்சைகளைப் பெற்றுக்கொள்வதில் நெருக்கடிகளுக்கு முகங்கொடுப்பதாக சுகாதாரத் தொழில் வல்லுநர்களின் சங்கம் தெரிவித்துள்ளது. சுகாதாரத் த…
(Our Correspondent) The Health Professionals Association has said that around 1,000 cancer patients are facing difficulties in accessing essential treatments due to the backlog in radiotherapy services in the government health sector. Ravi Kumudesh, president of the Health Professionals Association, said, The old ‘CT Simulation’ machine used for radiotherapy treatment planning broke down on April 29 and although a new ‘CT Simulation’ machine was installed on May 21, it is not being used due to water leakage from the roof of the building where the machine was installed. Although the technical issues were resolved by June 1, the machine is yet to be put into use for treating patients. ‘CT Simulation’ is a very important process before radiotherapy. This helps doctors pinpoint the area of cancer, determine the direction of the radiation beams, plan the angles for treatment, calculate the radiation dose, and prevent unnecessary damage to healthy tissue. Since it is practically impossible to start radiation therapy without a ‘CT simulation’ procedure, there have been delays in the crucial phase of cancer treatment. Although the ‘PET-CT’ machine is currently being used for emergency cases, it is not a substitute for it as it is not specifically designed for the purpose of ‘CT simulation’. Due to this delay, patients who have already completed chemotherapy, surgery, and other treatments have been placed on waiting lists. As radiation therapy is postponed, they are at increased risk of cancer recurrence. He said that only a few central centres, including Maharagama, Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Batticaloa and Jaffna, have radiotherapy facilities. Therefore, a delay at one central centre will affect patients across the country.