Hong Kong medical group calls for extra community care and more affordable drugs as cancer cases rise
Chemotherapy could be performed at home and patients should get help with cost of medicine, experts say
Medical experts have called for stronger community support and more affordable drugs for cancer patients as the number of new cases hit a record high in 2014.
Some 29,618 people were diagnosed with the disease, a 2.4 per cent increase from the previous year, according to the latest figures in the Hospital Authority’s Cancer Registry.
In a report covering cancer strategy in five areas including prevention and treatment, the Oncology Innovation Study Group suggested the city provide more community care services, such as consulting patients on medication and offering chemotherapy at home, to “minimise need for hospitalisation”.
While there were NGOs that provided community care support, more should be done to fill service gaps, the group said.
“Cancer care that only relies on hospital care is less effective,” said Dr Alexander Chiu, a member of the group, adding that community efforts should also be engaged to support cancer patients.
He said a number of countries, including Australia and Britain, offered chemotherapy at home.