A mum-of-two with bowel cancer has said she is ‘devasted’ after potentially life-extending surgery was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Beth Pervis, 40, who was diagnosed with a tumour in 2016 which has spread to her lungs, spoke about her disappointment on Channel 4’s Dispatches programme.
‘Initially, I burst into tears,’ she told A&E doctor Saleyha Ahsan when describing her reaction to finding out her operation was suspended.
She added: ‘I was devastated because that’s the surgery I’d been pinning all my hopes on.
‘This was potentially going to mean more time clear of cancer, it just buys me more time with my family.
‘The likelihood is my life will be shortened through this and the aim of the game is to stay here as long as possible.’
NHS hospitals in England have been told to suspend all non-urgent elective surgery for at least three months in a bid to free up crucial beds for coronavirus patients.
Pervis added: ‘I’ve definitely taken it hard, I know and understand the reasons this has happened and I know the NHS are doing the best they can and I think they’re in an absolutely impossible situation.
‘I’m in a no man’s land.’
For all the latest news and updates on Coronavirus, click here.
For our Coronavirus live blog click here.
Dr Jeamette Dickson, President of The Royal College of Radiologists, added there was good evidence when you have pandemics that other health conditions, not just cancer, have a poorer outcome because people are focused on the pandemic.
Dispatches: Can Our NHS Cope?, which focused on whether the NHS can cope with the crisis, also interviewed doctors about Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).
It revealed in its survey of more than 200 medical professionals only 15% said they felt safe with their current level of PPE.
Intensive Care Doctor Dr Lucie Cocker said: ‘If we’re not being looked after in a couple of weeks time, in a couple of months time, we’re not going to be there because we’re going to need to be looked after ourselves.’
The Department of Health and Social Care said it has issued millions of pieces of equipment and set up a national helpline so those in need can ask for more.
Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said 170 million items of PPE had been delivered to hospitals and clinics.
But she added that there was ‘certainly an acknowledgement that people need more of this’.
Prof Doyle said: ‘Getting supplies to the frontline is absolutely critical to ensure that people feel safe.
‘It comes alongside a refresh of the guidance to ensure that people are clear what equipment should be used in what circumstances.’
Dispatches: Can Our NHS Cope? Aired on Monday night at 8:30pm on Channel 4
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.
Coronavirus latest news and updates
- Visit our live blog for the latest updates: Coronavirus news live
- Read all new and breaking stories on our Covid-19 news page
- Coronavirus symptoms explained
- Find out the latest on which shops can stay open in a lockdown
- Who needs to go to work, who needs to stay at home and who is classed as a key worker?
from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8291209 https://ift.tt/2UIf33O
No comments:
Post a Comment