Patients face anxious wait after hospital cancels non-urgent cancer operations
REVELATIONS that non-urgent cancer surgeries are to be postponed will cause anxiety to patients, the Irish Cancer Society warned yesterday.
St Vincent’s Hospital said it has to rearrange a number of surgeries owing to pressures of the coronavirus.
“In response to Covid-19, consultants are reviewing their patients based on clinical need and some surgeries are being rearranged for the coming weeks. If in doubt, all cancer patients scheduled for surgery should contact their consultant immediately to confirm their appointment,” it said in a statement.
Averil Power, of the Irish Cancer Society, said: “Postponement of non-urgent care is to be expected during this unprecedented public health crisis. However, it will cause a lot of anxiety for patients.”
The postponement is just the tip of the iceberg, however, as hospitals across the country have to scale down on a lot of operations and outpatient clinics because of the strain of the virus.
The Mater Hospital in Dublin confirmed yesterday that it had cancelled all non-essential elective surgeries, including orthopaedic and spinal services.
“All elective outpatient appointments are cancelled until further notice. Patients whose appointments are being deferred are being contacted by phone. In addition, the Mater Hospital will be moving all fracture clinics to the Mater Smithfield Rapid Injury Clinic starting from today,” said a spokeswoman.
“We are taking these actions in order to preserve and prioritise emergency care and care for those with Covid-19 during these unprecedented times.”
University Hospital Limerick Hospital Group said it is curtailing outpatient radiology services from today.
A spokesman said the decision was taken in the interests of patient safety, and it regrets the inconvenience to patients.
All GP-referred outpatient X-ray appointments have been postponed at University Hospital Limerick. X-ray services will continue as normal, for now, at Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospitals.
Patients who are scheduled to have X-ray appointments will be contacted by phone and offered an appointment at Croom Hospital. Non-urgent CT, MRI and ultrasound outpatient imaging is being postponed at Limerick, Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospitals. Cork University Hospital has reduced or is rescheduling outpatient appointments from Monday this week.
The Royal College of Surgeons said yesterday that scheduled surgical care and outpatient clinics will inevitably be curtailed and “we cannot overestimate the impact this will have on our patients”.