Every October 19th is commemorated worldwide as the Day of the Fight against Breast Cancer, and in Venezuela patients suffering from this disease live an ordeal to be able to comply with the required treatments.
By Jesús Quintero / Correspondent lapatilla.com
Any patient from the first moment of diagnosis, begins to live a true calamity.
Whether in the public healthcare network where mammograms are unavailable, the equipment is damaged or the waiting lists are endless or, although the costs are high, the viable option for a chance to be cured is to go to private imaging clinics and institutes.
An oncology patient in Mérida, who preferred to remain anonymous, was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago and since then her life has changed.
Clinging to God and with the unconditional support of her family, she has overcome the diagnosis by undergoing dozens of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.
Between searching for medicines, finding the cheapest option, attending consultations with oncologists, she has had to figure out again and again how to stay ahead of the disease.
She told lapatilla.com that “having already been diagnosed with breast cancer, the next step is to find a specialist, an oncologist and a surgeon.”
She pointed out that in the case of Mérida, “in the hospital there is only one public oncologist and the appointments are very backlogged for that reason. Depending on the patient’s financial means, the patient must find a private doctor where each consultation costs 50 dollars for the surgeon and 50 dollars for the oncologist, who is the specialist who guides the patient through the chemotherapy treatment.”
The cost of medical examinations
“When you go to see the surgeon, he requests the following specialized studies such as: a chest, abdominal and pelvic CT scan with contrast; breast MRI with gadolinium; breast tomo-synthesis and cardiac echo-sonogram. These studies are carried out privately due to the quality of the images that are needed and all tests combined cost approximately 700 dollars,” the patient commented.
These specialized studies help determine the state of the cancer, observing whether it is only in the breast or if it has already spread to other organs. The treatment prescribed by the specialists depends on this.
Chemotherapy is carried out in the hospital, since it is very expensive in a private healthcare center. She clarified that “although the service is free at the hospital and there is an excellent team of workers between the pharmacy and the nursing staff, not always are available the chemotherapy and adjuvant medicines and thus the necessary supplies must be purchased to complete the treatment, in case the IVSS (Venezuela’s Social Security Administration) does not have them.”
Buying the supplies for chemotherapy
The Oncology Unit La Flor de la Esperanza, located at the Los Andes University Hospital in Mérida, has an excellent team of specialist doctors, residents, pharmacy staff, nurses and cleaning staff, who add their knowledge and contribute their grain of sand for the health and well-being of the patients who come there to undergo chemotherapy.
However, patients themselves must bring all the supplies to receive their chemotherapy treatment. 0.9% solutions, dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, omeprazole, yelcos, macro dropper, adhesives, syringes, bed center, sterile gloves to be treated, among other supplies, are all required for each cycle of the treatment.
To receive chemotherapy, a procedure that is carried out every 21 days, patients must also take recent laboratory tests to ascertain the current values in the body. These have a cost of 25 dollars, since the public healthcare services lack the reagents that are needed to analyze transaminases, glucose, calcium, phosphatase, said the patient consulted.
Then they may schedule an appointment for surgery. If everything goes well, and although the surgeon who attends privately, can operate for free in the hospital, all the supplies for the surgery must be provided.
Surgeries in the hospital
The patient said that for “a radical mastectomy surgery with reconstruction, all the needed supplies cost approximately 900 dollars,” and they must find a way to pay for the total value of the supplies in advance in order to be admitted to the operating room.
In addition to the above, in the surgery you have to pay for a biopsy of the tumor and lymph nodes, and these evaluations cost 450 dollars on average. This is very important because it helps determine how much radiation the patient should receive after surgery.
Surgeries for any cancer at the Hospital Universitario de Los Andes are performed on Wednesdays, and only four are performed per day if the operating rooms are in working order and the medical staff (nurses, surgical residents, surgeon, anesthesiologist) is available.
In the case of Mérida, radiotherapy sessions are carried out in private institutions, since there is no public institution where these are carried out. The cost of 20 radiotherapy sessions is about 2,700 dollars.
Support from private initiatives
In one way or another, family members and patients themselves must find a way to generate enough income, selling properties, cars, holding raffles, requesting help through digital channels, and thus trying to win the battle against cancer.
The situation is complex and no one escapes this harsh reality. Although breast cancer affects women more, there is also a percentage of men who suffer from this disease, which transforms the life of the patient and their environment in the search for healing.
Year after year in Mérida, many private institutions join the ‘Causa Rosa’ (Rose Cause) initiative, which seeks to help patients who require support to undergo these high-cost procedures and medical studies. That is why there are several initiatives such as the ‘Rosa Camiula’ Walk, which has been gathering people for 18 years to raise awareness about this disease and support those in need.
At the same time, similar activities are carried out in different municipalities to provide a helping hand during the medical procedures of each patient.