A new service at the Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Hospital (SAMOC), of ambulatory chemotherapy, will allow a number of patients who take a particular chemotherapy over a two-day period to start doing so from their private residence.
This was announced by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne who explained how the treatment of these patients usually involves a 48 hour session of chemotherapy every two weeks for six months and that through ambulatory chemotherapy these -patients will spend only a few hours at the Hospital. With this initiative it is estimated that in the coming months 144 cycles of chemotherapy will be given at the patients’ residence.
The Deputy Prime Minister explained how often the oncology patients, who need admission to the hospital for their therapy, send from loneliness despite the excellent service of the Hospital’s team of professionals and that therefore this is -the service is expected to improve the patient’s experience in this difficult time. Chris Fearne spoke about the selection of the first group of patients who will make use of the service, who were selected by the SAMOC clinical team and who will be given continuous training and support so that they feel safe receiving the care outside the Hospital. He thanked the team of nurses, doctors, pharmacists and the management of the Hospital who worked on the establishment of this service while he wished that after the initial period of the project, this service would be extended for more patients.
The Deputy Prime Minister also recalled how this is the second initiative announced this week in the field of Oncology, after the introduction of the Oncotype-DX test that will help the medical team of patients who suffer from breast cancer, determines if chemotherapy can be avoided and a more specific treatment is used instead or if the use of chemotherapy is necessary to prevent the cancer from spreading. “This is a testimony to how the investment in the field of oncology is continuous. We are committed to continue offering the best care to our patients even through our excellent professionals” stated Deputy Prime Minister Fearne.
