Cancer a bigger killer than COVID in COVID lockdown.
As India gradually opened its skies to patients, we saw a huge influx of cancer patients. Though, many were received just in just the right time and were treated, for others the disease did progress so much in last few months that not much could have been offered to them. Yes, thanks to the unavailability of travel, we were unable to save many lives. As a side effect of COVID, we lost lives to Cancer and organ failures.
The success rates of Cancer Treatment depend to many factors; 1. The right diagnosis 2. Timely treatment by the right doctor with right advancements 3. Affordable costs and 4.The choice of the right facility.
The right diagnosis – India receives a very large number of cancer patients from countries where the diagnosis is a scarcity. For example in a country like South Sudan, to get a good MRI or a CT Scan is also a challenge. Thus, many who lose their lives in such geographies due to cancer may not even know that they have been suffering with cancer. People know this and those who can afford, they travel to India to get the diagnosis and treatment done here. Luckily for India, in last 30 years, our healthcare facilities have invested heavily of diagnostics and technology. Today, PET CT, Cytogenetics, Nuclear Medicine, Molecular studies are available in most of the good hospitals.
So, It was imperative for the patients to travel and get themselves be diagnosed and treated. Due to lockdown, many could not travel, get diagnosed and even if they could have afforded, could be treated rightly.
In fairly well to do countries, like Kenya, getting the right set of skills sets (well-trained doctors) supported by right technology is an issue. And if at all both are available, the cost at which it is available is beyond the reach of most. This makes all the cancer patients from such geographies to travel to countries like India. In India, a specialist doctor is available for almost each kind of cancer. The doctor for breast cancer will be different from a doctor for Lung Cancer. A doctor for Prostate Cancer will be different from a doctor for Rectal Cancer. Such doctors have earned valuable experience in the disease subsets, by treating a massive number of patients focusing on a single disease area. Thus, the experience of these doctors makes a large difference. Then these doctors as mentioned above are supported by the availability of the most advanced technology. You may be surprised to know that a Technology such as Proton Therapy, which is limited to very few countries is available in India.
But just being available is not the solution. Most of such technology is also available in a very advanced country like USA. Why then the Americans are traveling to India for their cancer treatments? Simply because the facility is available at one of the lowest price points in the world. Thanks to very heavy consumption given the huge population India has, a very large number of healthcare facilities available and all inhouse production has kept our costs very low.
Lastly but very importantly, you need to exactly know, which doctor and which hospitals is most suitable for the treatment of patients. None of the doctors in the world can treat everything, they need specialisation. Similarly not all the best doctors are available at same hospital. Sometimes we get swayed by the Brand of The Hospital. For eg: The best doctor for Breast Cancer may be available in a Hospital A. But as the brand of Hospital B is more famous, the patient end up being there with not satisfactory results. Also, the healthcare environment being dynamic, the doctors keep switching institutes, the technology keeps getting upgraded and on ground facts keeps changing. Thus it sis best to use services of Independent Consulting companies Like HBG Medical Assistance to identify the right paces for your treatment. Companies like HBG Medical Assistance have the pulse of the healthcare industry. They have the data bases of doctors, knowledge of Hospitals and latest update from the ground. They will be able to direct you to the right doctor.
Companies Like HBG Medical Assistance, who have treated thousands of patients with over 99% success rates. They have treated patients from over 32 countries , have 200+ hospitals and 5000+ doctors on their panel. Insurers use them, Foreign government use them, large Corporates use their services. They will be able to direct you to the right doctor and the right hospital. Moreover, they will be able to a hospitals which gets you the same result at a price much lower.
Before COVID, patient would catch a flight to India and would know that they are in safe hands. But as the COVID put a break on their journey, many were saved from COVID but lost their lives to cancer.
