Plugging the gaps in Cancer Care
Disease is a disease: uncomfortable and painful. The pain in your stomach or head or heart slows down with medication and the healing power of time. Its intensity eventually reaches zero as your organs launch an offensive against the source of discomfort. What makes cancer stand out from all other ailments is its very essence: a body under constant stress, feeling relief followed by excruciating pain, and an undefined time limit stretching from months to even decades - most cases ultimately ending in death.
The disease, therefore, needs to be dissected into minute details, evaluating aspects like the patient care, caregivers’ mental health, unique circumstances surrounding particular cases, conscious awareness of the disease among those providing home care, regional performance in cancer treatment, and more.
Statistics requiring continuous monitoring followed by the inclusive, overarching improvement in cancer care aside for a moment, the focus of this article remains on regional performance in cancer care, factoring in all stakeholders: from doctors to security guards to at-home palliative caregivers. First-hand accounts form a major portion of this discussion and must be included in policy-making, with adaptability expected from caregivers and institutions alike.
Doctors, concerned with cancer detection and medication, must possess an empathetic attitude towards patients with varying backgrounds. Taking into account differences in educational qualifications and coping mechanisms, doctors have a crucial role in breathing life into the distressed psyche of both patients and their attendants. Half the battle is won here - with even slightly hopeful spirits mentally ruling out the impending doom that could arise any day.
With the alarming rise in cancer cases, there’s an understandable tendency to hasten patient evaluation. Yet treatment shouldn’t end in confusion or partially answered queries, the consequences of which can severely hamper an already fragile battle with the disease.
In Kashmir, in particular, doctors appear promising. The primary area where improvement is needed lies in enhanced empathy, active listening, and immediate response in times of needespecially through electronic channels. The ramifications of failing to address patients’ worries and anxieties are manifold, with most of them losing hope both in God and Doctors, as blunt as that may sound. Tele-Manas handles thousands of mental-health concerns each day; the need of the hour is to establish similar case-specific channels that allow patients to connect with their treating doctors when confusion arises.
The pressure from overwhelmed patients continues to mount, with thousands of cases detected annually. Tertiary hospitals, thus, face a formidable task. Security guards, much like frontline workers, must direct their firmness towards the disease: cancer. Cancer - not its sometimesirrational victims. Not a trace of unwelcoming behavior should be shown to the attendants. Or a word of arrogance displayed in response to a seemingly distressing query. Proper training, necessary qualification, and continuous monitoring should be mandatory criteria for recruiting security personnel. Degrees should not belong to doctors alone. Those who interact with the public before they reach their treating doctor play a crucial role in molding public behavior and experience. For the sake of inclusivity, we need to focus on such factors.
To make treatment truly inclusive, institutional impediments must be confronted and resolved. For instance, if patient rush overwhelms both the security guards and doctors, let the resolution be in expanding the space of the OPD, increasing the number of doctors and nurses, or relocating facilities to more spacious premises. Interim measures such as tightening the security or rushing consultations may offer temporary relief, but they often worsen the situation: more pressure, more discipline-demanding tactics, larger crowds, mounting frustration, and deeper psychological harm.
Empathy: that’s the key. Clemency: that’s the need. An absolute requirement. A silent warrior. Almost a benevolent God. Especially in times of confrontation or the unexpected. That’s love in real terms for patients (and their attendants) who endure unimaginable torment.
Attendants caring for patients in terminal stages also play an indispensable role. With patients past the treating options available for them, caregivers become central to their well-being. Beyond emotional support, caregivers must be consciously aware of the disease, ongoing palliative treatment, and the prescribed medication. Where knowledge exists, doubt diminishes, particularly in home-based care. Also, hospitals must ensure detailed discussions about every prescribed drug, leaving no room for confusion later. The mechanics of medication should be laid bare so caregivers monitoring patients can administer treatment confidently and correctly.
There is also an urgent need for free, in-person psychological consultation attached to oncology departments. Emotional bouts of frustration at times peak, disrupting patient care. Also, attending to patients translates into sacrificing personal space, professional growth, and future prospects. This burden is immense. The onus, therefore, lies on the welfare state to recognize these ethical dilemmas and safeguard caregivers’ mental health.
Cancer is a complicated, nuanced disease. Addressing it requires moving beyond conventional, universal treatment models and plunging deep into the crevices of each unique case. World Cancer Day, observed on February 4, reflects this sentiment with the theme “United by Unique.”Diversity must be acknowledged, alongside patient-specific factors such as educational background, financial stability, and psychological outlook – with empathy at the core, of course.
Note: This piece is experience-based. The author’s father and uncle (foster father) have been suffering from cancers.
