Lack of chemotherapy, many cancer patients "already suffering, facing difficulties"

Many children undergoing cancer treatment at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion face risks due to a lack of treatment chemicals. Photo: Thuy Linh

Patients "thirsty" for medicine

In late June, hundreds of patients being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion were facing a drug shortage crisis. The institute did not have some specific drugs and chemicals, while patients could not access drugs of clear origin, causing treatment to be interrupted or stalled.

Ms. NTB in Phu Tho said that her son has L2 acute leukemia and has been treated at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion since November 2023. Since the beginning of 2024, the hospital has been lacking some medicines and medical supplies, including some key chemicals for treating patients.

“Vincristine is a specific treatment for my child’s illness. Initially, we could buy this chemical from Korea for less than 100,000 VND at the hospital pharmacy, but after Tet, we could no longer buy it,” Ms. B shared with Lao Dong reporter.

The patient’s family then whispered to each other that they could buy a medicine imported from India and shared the phone numbers of the suppliers to order the medicine. The suppliers would then send the medicine to the hospital gate at a price of 170,000 VND per bottle, depending on the time.

"Even though we don't know the seller, the origin of the medicine is unknown, there are no invoices or documents, we still have to buy it for our relatives to use in order to keep up with the treatment regimen. If the hospital doesn't have the medicine, we have to make our own arrangements. This is a last resort, and no one wants it," Ms. B painfully shared.

In addition, the hospital does not have some types of treatment chemicals such as Methotrexate, Etoposid, Endoxan, etc., so patients are forced to buy them from outside and bring them to the hospital for treatment.

"However, chemicals are not always available to buy, sometimes you have to wait several days to buy them. Not only chemicals, some medical supplies and infusion solutions, such as 5% Glucose, are also often in short supply," Ms. B continued.

Sharing similar concerns, the family of the patient TMH said that her son had just been diagnosed with acute leukemia type L2 and was being treated at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. On Monday morning, the doctor prescribed a prescription for the family to buy Vanh (Vincristine - PV) to inject for the child, but at noon, there was a notice from the hospital requesting that no chemicals of unknown origin be used that the patient had bought from outside.

Currently, the family of the ENT patient is very worried and does not know what to do because the treatment regimen requires this chemical but the hospital does not sell it. Meanwhile, if they go to buy it outside, they do not know how to access and buy the drug with clear origin and full invoices and documents to promptly treat their loved one.

The lack of treatment has caused many patients to come and go or have to temporarily stop treatment.

The case of Ms. H, in Thanh Hoa, whose child was treated for the second time with the A2 regimen, is an example. Because she could not access Vincristine of clear origin, after injecting the marrow into her child, she and her child returned home even though the treatment regimen this time was supposed to be 2 Vincristine injections a week.

Many children undergoing cancer treatment at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion face many risks due to a lack of treatment chemicals. Photo: Thuy Linh

Unanswered Questions

Not having the right medication for treatment means pushing patients into a spiral of despair. The hospital has no medication, and the drugs that patients buy themselves without knowing the source are not being used, becoming a "golden hoop" that gradually squeezes the patient's life.

Some doctors treating patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia said that the hospital's lack of medicine and medical supplies, including chemicals, greatly affects the treatment process for patients.

To keep up with the treatment regimen and provide effective treatment, doctors sometimes advise the patient's family to purchase and use drugs or chemicals from outside the hospital. However, the patient and his/her relatives must commit and take responsibility for the origin and quality of the drugs and medical supplies purchased from outside for treatment.

While waiting for the authorities to solve the problem of drug and material shortages in public health facilities, cancer patients are still waiting in front of the "scythe of life and death". Cancer patients who have already suffered pain and deprivation due to their illness now have to struggle and are gradually becoming desperate in their "thirst" for medicine.

Source: https://laodong.vn/y-te/thieu-hoa-chat-dieu-tri-nhieu-benh-nhan-ung-thu-da-kho-lai-gap-kho-1359837.ldo