There was a direct dialogue with regional cancer centers in the conditions of the epidemic

March 17 At the N.A. Lopatkin Research Institute of Urology and Interventional Radiology. – branch of NMIC Radiology – the first teleconference with regional cancer centers and dispensaries from Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Voronezh, Volgograd, Ufa, Moscow region, St. Petersburg, as well as the heads of public and patient organizations “Movement against Cancer” and “Hello!”, dedicated to the organization of cancer care in conditions of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The idea to talk directly with oncologists from the regions did not arise by chance. Since March 27, a round-the-clock hotline has been opened at the P.A. Hertsen Moscow Medical Research Institute for patients with an oncological diagnosis during the coronavirus epidemic. The line is designed primarily for those who are on outpatient treatment, or in between courses of chemo or radiation therapy, who have been scheduled for surgery, research, etc. They and their relatives have a lot of questions. To help them, the institute “mobilized” 30 employees – young resident doctors, call center workers who receive calls from all over Russia 24/7. During this time, the hotline received more than 7 thousand calls. And despite the fact that they managed to establish working relationships with many federal and regional services to help patients, some questions remained open. In addition, the regions have various difficulties that no one has faced before. The teleconference helped to exchange experience and get first-hand information directly from specialists working in the region.
The following took part in the conversation: Chief Physician of the GAU RCOD of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Doctor of Medical Sciences A.A. Izmailov, Chief freelance oncologist of Bashkiria, Deputy Chief Physician for Medical Affairs, Candidate of Medical Sciences R. T. Ayupov, Chief Oncologist of the Health Department of the Voronezh Region, Chief Physician of the Regional Clinical Oncological dispensary I. P. Moshurov, Chief physician of the regional Oncological dispensary of Volgograd N.V. Kovalenko, Head of the Department for Organizational and Methodological work with the Regions of the FSBI “NMIC of Oncology named after N.N. Petrov” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation Yu. I. Komarov and Head of the Analytical Department I.I. Potapov, Chief physician of the Regional Oncological Dispensary No. 1 of the Ministry of Health of the Krasnodar Territory R.A. Murashko, Chief physician of the Rostov NMIC of Oncology A.A. Maslov, Chief specialist of the Ministry of Health of the Moscow Region in the field of oncology, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences A. A. Kostin.

The hotline subscribers complained about interruptions with vital medicines, refusals to conduct chemo and radiation therapy, planned operations, taking tests at local medical institutions, and the lack of a clear algorithm in routing for receiving medical care. The heads of regional cancer care institutions told what measures are being taken during the coronavirus epidemic to ensure the safety of cancer patients, how new treatment regimens are being built and routes are being laid for the pandemic period.  The conversation turned out to be useful for all participants.

– Cancer, as you know, does not go into quarantine, and we have to rebuild on the go, – summing up the results of the teleconference, said Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, chief freelance specialist oncologist of the Ministry of Health of Russia A.D. Kaprin. – Despite the fact that we have overcome the first stage and managed to debug many issues, deal with patient routing, flow separation, security – but still we are at the beginning of the road, and we still have to go through a lot of tests.  He stressed that the fate of patients also largely depends on the cohesion of doctors. – I want to thank all concerned people for their work and support: benefactors, residents on duty on the hotline without interrupting their main work, volunteer doctors who will save people in infectious diseases departments, our colleagues oncologists in the regions and the capital, who are now significantly increasing the workload due to the re-profiling of a number of medical institutions – everyone! And I wish everyone: hold on!”.

It is planned that meetings with regional specialists in the format of a teleconference on citizens’ appeals will be held on a regular basis. This will help not only to focus on the problems that arise in the work of oncological institutions, but also, most importantly, will help patients receive the necessary and timely medical care even in quarantine conditions.

Press Service of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “NMIC of Radiology” of the Ministry of Health of Russia