INTERVIEW Cancer
INTERVIEW Cancer patients receive comprehensive care The Oncology Unit at the Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital Complex outlines what services they offer to patients in the North West Province. What is oncology? The term oncology literally means a branch of science that deals with tumours and cancers. The word “onco” means bulk, mass or tumour while “-logy” means study. Oncology is the field of medicine that is devoted to cancer. Clinical oncology consists of three primary disciplines: medical oncology (the treatment of cancer with medicine, including chemotherapy), surgical oncology (at Tshepong hospital, the surgical aspects of cancer including biopsy, staging and surgical resection of tumours), and radiation oncology (the treatment of cancer with therapeutic radiation). What are the specialised services of the Oncology Unit? This unit renders the following services to the patients of the whole of North West Province: • Chemotherapy (out-patient basis and 24hrs) • Outpatient follow-up clinic • First-visit clinic • Symptom management • Improvement of quality of life • Pain management • Palliative care • Work-up for radiation. How long has the unit been active? The unit started functioning in October 1999 with 23 patients on an out-patient basis; services rendered were chemotherapy. Services were rendered to the whole NWP as this was the only Oncology Unit in the province. How does one get access to the unit? Patients should be worked-up and diagnosed with cancer before they are referred to the Oncology Unit. Usually patients are referred from hospitals or general practitioners or surgeons. What are the steps followed to access the services? Oncology depends on diagnostic tests like biopsy or removal of a piece of the tumour tissue and examining it under the microscope. Other diagnostic tests include endoscopy for the gastrointestinal tract, imaging studies like X-rays, CT scanning, MRI scanning, ultrasound and other radiological techniques and nuclear medicine techniques, etc. When a person suspects that he/she might have cancer or when that person presents with symptoms, the nearest primary health care (PHC) facility or general practitioner should be consulted. The health care workers at the PHC facility or the general practitioner will refer the person for further management and work-up, if needed. After the person has been worked-up for cancer, meaning diagnosed with cancer, the person should be referred to the Oncology Unit as a first visit. When coming to the Oncology Unit’s first-visit clinic for the first time, the patient should come with the following: referral letter, histology report, blood results and X-rays or sonar or scan. NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2019 10
INTERVIEW North West Provincial Government What type of cancer diagnosis gets admitted at the unit? All types of cancer, except some haematology (blood) cancers. What do staff specialise in? There is a qualified and skilled full-time oncologist at the unit with three medical doctors and interns running the unit. How long does it take to give treatment to patients after diagnosis? The ideal situation is one to two weeks after diagnosis, but our biggest challenge is late referrals and a delay in receiving all the necessary tests and investigations. How are the challenges being dealt with? We have excellent management support. The unit services complex cancer patients with stateof-the-art diagnostic and treatment machines in the Radiation Unit. We offer chemotherapy in a very conducive environment. We believe in teamwork. We strive to deliver high patient care. Therefore, we try to assist each and every patient who is referred to our unit. We use our initiative to overcome most of the problems encountered. What makes the staff in the unit successful? The oncology team is very dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled. The staff members have a positive attitude and there is very good team cohesion. The staff members are passionate about the oncology patients. What challenges are being encountered with patients and the facilities? Patient challenges: Late referrals of patients. Patients coming in the late stage of their disease. Delays in receiving all the necessary tests and investigations that are needed at the first visit to health facilities. Transportation of patients. 11 NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2019
