Delhi: Cancer patients facing hardships as hospitals are busy dealing COVID-19 cases

New Delhi [India], April 21 (ANI): At a time when hospitals are busy dealing with the COVID-19 cases, cancer patients are facing immense hardships as their treatment and surgeries have been postponed. Further, adding to their woe, they have been advised to avoid non-essential visits to hospitals so as to keep coronavirus infection at bay.
Cancer patients from various parts of the country come to the national capital for treatment and surgeries as best facilities and hospitals are available here. However, those who came here for the treatment in the last one or two months, are feeling helpless as they are stranded due to the continuing lockdown.
Sarabjeet, the husband of a breast cancer patient who is from Pilibhit Uttar Pradesh, is temporarily residing outside the AIIMS hospital. He told that her wife was supposed to undergo surgery on March 25 but the date has been extended and doctors gave only oral medicines to her to get some relief from pain.
"Previously the doctor gave us March 24 as the date for the operation. Now, they gave us the date of April 27. My wife is in lots of pain due to cancer. Doctors have only given her oral medicine. Our children are in Pilibhit and they are also suffering because no one is with them," he said.
Ritiraj from Bihar said that his mother was undergoing treatment of cancer and she was on chemotherapy. "However, doctors are not giving her chemotherapy treatment now, stating that her treatment will begin after the corona phase gets over. She is being given only oral medicines," said Ritiraj.
Dr Shyam Aggarwal, a cancer specialist in Gangaram hospital, said: "We cannot stop those who are undergoing chemotherapy, but we can only give them oral medicine for some time."
"We also suggesting chemotherapy patient to first go for COVID-19 test, because if one tests positive for coronavirus and we gave them chemo then it will be harmful to the person," he said.
The lockdown in India was extended by the Centre till May 3 in view of the surge in coronavirus cases. (ANI)