Cancer patient and coronavirus pandemic: Do’s and Don’ts - Dr. Sandeep Nayak
Dr. Sandeep Nayak | Appointment No 9482202240| Robotic and Laparoscopic Cancer Surgeon, MACS Clinic & Director, Fortis Cancer Institute |MACS Clinic, TRIMACS HEALTHCARE, Bengaluru As you know there is a coronavirus pandemic and there is a lot of concerns and lot of worries that have been expressed throughout the world. The problem with coronavirus is it is infecting people who have less immunity and the complications are more. Such patents include cancer patients. Cancer patients have much lower immunity compared to common public and the complications that are related to this coronavirus infection are too high so worldwide there has been an advisory to avoid unnecessary social interaction, unnecessary consultation and unnecessary procedure which can be avoided in this duration of time. So the diagnosis of cancer involves a lot of anxiety, but it is never an emergency, but remember it is never an emergency. It is very rarely an emergency. So I do not recommend anyone to rush for treatment or run for it. You can consult. Today there are facilities to do online consultation and facilities to do video consultations. I recommend them to come on our app, which is cancer specific information. You can upload a lot of information an there can be video consultations with me. It has been pen for many doctors and whoever opt for using this, you can consult them with all your documentation from home. So you can avoid unnecessary contact when you travel and co to meet a doctor. So the consultations or your visits to the hospitals or clinics should be limited to clearly called a emergencies otherwise avoid them. The best person to guide you is a doctor. Consult your doctor and also whether it is required for you to come for consultation or not. There are other people who do not have a diagnosis of cancer and they have an anxiety whether they have a cancer or not. So those patients are also recommend to come online and discuss their symptoms and decide whether to come or not and all of us follow this dictum and say this to the society. As doctor I will continue to see patients and continue to do the treatment, what I am asking you if it is not necessary do not come and increase your ask so this is a request form me and how that all of you who are listening will follow. I do not want you to expose. You are more vulnerable than most of the people. We stay at work for you, you stay at home for us. Follow ups in cancer is not an emergency , we can do it at a later date. So many of you who have undergone treatment and are in a follow up period, visiting at month or four month period, a month or two delay is not going to make any difference in your outcomes. So do not come at present. Wait for the outbreak to be better or settled and visit at a later date.
