For over a year, healthcare has been focused on dealing with the pandemic and treating those most sick with Covid. However, today medical experts sought to put the spotlight on non-Covid healthcare and specifically the treatment of those with a serious illness such as cancer.
New data shared at the the National Healthcare Outcomes Conference showed there has been a 15% drop in cancer patients in public hospitals, a 38% decrease in breast cancer surgeries and a 26% decrease in colorectal surgeries during this last year.
The Irish Cancer Society said these findings are another "layer of evidence" that cancer care is being impacted dramatically during the pandemic with disruption to both treatment and surgery.