PETALING JAYA: As more cancer cases are diagnosed at a later stage, it is crucial to ease access to diagnostic and treatment facilities, according to experts.
They also advised that early intervention is crucial to increasing the patients’ chances of survival and cure.
The National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) managing director Dr Murallitharan Munisamy said this can be done through collaborations with the private sector.
“It will be critical for us to speed up diagnosis and begin treatment,” he said.
“In terms of short term solutions, what we need is access to targeted therapies. We still haven’t been able to turn the clock back; more than half of our cancer cases are being diagnosed at a late stage.
“At the late stage, we need to give these patients some therapeutic options. That means making treatment available, with targeted therapies as one of the key aspects, especially for patients in public hospitals,” he added.
Apart from that, he said psychosocial support is also important.
“Aspects such as mental healthcare, financial and welfare assistance, as well as logistic facilities should also be provided,” he said.
He added that a lot could be achieved in the short term through these holistic approaches.
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) President Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai said the issue of a shortage of personnel for cancer care should also be addressed, as that will significantly cut down on the delay in treatment.
“Of course we need more cancer care centres especially in states where such health services are not available. But before we even consider this, the personnel involved in cancer management – oncologists, surgeons, radiology technologists, psychologists, nurses and occupational therapists – needs to increase,” he said, adding that treating and managing cancers require a holistic approach as the disease could have an effect on both physical and mental health.
Dr Muruga also points out that the number of CT and positron emission tomography (PET) scan facilities in public healthcare is limited.
These facilities are also utilised for other cases aside from cancer.
“The government also needs to look into the issues faced by cancer patients in paying for their treatment.
“Nearly 45% of cancer patients in Malaysia experience financial hardships. Many have also experienced various issues with insurance claims, and this can cause delays in obtaining treatment. With cancer, every second counts, as a cancer patient’s condition can very quickly worsen,” he added.
