Care for chronic illnesses sacrificed during pandemic
ABOUT half of countries across the globe have seen resources diverted away from services for high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer since the coronavirus pandemic began, the World Health Organisation has warned.
According to a survey of 155 nations, efforts to tackle chronic illnesses, known as non-communicable diseases, have suffered as governments focus on containing Covid-19.
Just over half of countries surveyed reported that health services for hypertension, or high blood pressure, have been hampered, while 49 per cent reported interruptions to diabetes treatment and 42 per cent said cancer services had been reduced. In the UK, estimates published this week by Cancer Research suggested that about 2.4million people were still waiting for cancer screening, treatment or tests due to disruptions to the NHS.
“We all know that the impacts of Covid-19 extend well beyond the death and disease caused by the virus itself,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said.
The WHO report added that a third of countries have seen disruptions to their cardiovascular emergency response, while 94 per cent said ministry of health staff working on non-communicable diseases had been partially or fully reassigned to support the pandemic response.
Dr Tedros added that the findings were particularly concerning given that those with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
He said: “We already know that people living with non-communicable diseases are more vulnerable to becoming severely ill or dying from Covid-19.
“At the same time, many people living with such diseases are no longer able to access the medicines that they need.”