JANUARY 14 — In the year 2020 alone, the number of new cancer cases reported in Malaysia was 48,639 and the number of people living with cancer (5-year) was a whooping 128,018 (Globocan, 2020). 

Presently, the top three most common cancers among Malaysian males are colorectal, lung and prostate cancers whereas for females, they comprise breast, colorectal and cervical cancers.

Central to this discussion is that the pandemic has led to reallocation of healthcare resources to cater for the influx in Covid-19-related hospitalisations. 

Particularly, during the first movement control order (MCO), cancer-screening services were limited, cancer surgeries were postponed, and clinical visits and imaging appointments were deferred. 

While these measures were taken to ensure that we had enough medical personnel, hospital beds (ICU and non-ICU) and personal protective equipment (PPE) to accommodate the high number of Covid-19 admissions, they resulted in widespread disruptions to cancer care service delivery in the nation, especially so given that some tertiary hospitals were also hybrid Covid-19 hospitals. 

Our cancer survivors were also torn between having to leave their homes to attend hospital appointments, or postponing their hospital visits to a later date in fear of exposing themselves to the coronavirus. 

Now that MCO 2.0 is back, we would like to remind Malaysians at large that cancer patients may again be facing similar problems and that it is no more ethical to let them (and also patients with other chronic diseases) suffer due to the pandemic. 

While fighting the invisible virus remains the utmost priority currently, cancer care cannot be delayed. Here, we would like to propose several measures that can be taken to maintain the continuity of cancer care in Malaysia.

General public: