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A cancer patient’s plight and a plea to the Minister of Health
Dear Editor,
Please permit me some space in your column to reach out to the Minister of health and enlighten the public on a sensitive issue, pertaining to the treatment of Cancer in Guyana. I am a Cancer patient registered at the Oncology Clinic GPHC.
Last year I went to the US for a vacation and received treatment with a medication named “Sutent”. This medication is very expensive-about US$5000 for a month supply. I was given it free of cost by the Max Foundation based in Argentina.
The people at the foundation upon learning that I am from Guyana offered to send a regular supply to Guyana free of cost so that myself and other patients can be supplied here. All they require is for someone in authority to acknowledge that they will accept, store and distribute the medication.
I informed them about the Oncology Department of GPHC. An Email was sent to a Doctor at the Oncology Department from the Max Foundation to solicit the acknowledgement. Before returning home I visited the foundation to collect a one-month supply and was told that they had not received any response from Guyana.
I have been back home for five months now without medication. A recent check by a relative at the Max Foundation has revealed that no response has been received from Guyana. Too bad for me! Medication can only be collected by patients there.
Madam Minister, It is heartening to know that a drug is offered free of cost to treat Cancer patients in Guyana and the hierarchy of the Oncology Department shows no interest. In my opinion this is the equivalent of saying- If you have Cancer die quickly. We will all die some day-in that sense medications do not save lives-medications prolong life. We as Cancer patients deserve the same treatment as people with other illness.
Madame Minister, I am pleading to you to check with the Oncology dept and have someone contact the Max Foundation so that Sutent could be sent to the Oncology Department free of cost to treat Cancer patients in Guyana. We deserve a chance to prolong our life like everyone else
Distraught Cancer Patient
Editor’s note: We propose to contact the Oncology Department about the failure to respond to the Max Foundation. We can provide the name of the patient on request.
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