The Changing Paradigm of Cancer

Lorna Cook - chemo@home 

There have been innumerable articles written about cancer and how 1 in every 2 people in WA will have their lives touched by this insidious disease before they turn 85. 

However, don’t get too depressed. There are many good news stories too, for example, there are new drug treatments that aren’t the traditional “poison” of chemotherapy and in fact just boost the patient’s own immune system to overcome cancer.  Funnily enough they are called immune-therapies and while they are the flavour of the month in cancer care, there is a downside too (isn’t there always). These drugs are so good that many patients have to have them administered into a vein in one’s arm every two weeks for up to (and sometimes beyond) two years.  Can you imagine having to drive into hospital every two weeks for two years and hang about all day for treatment?

Where on earth are all these patients going to go to have their treatments?  Many patients these days are dropping out of private health insurance, especially for cancer care because it needs to be so many treatments over such a long time, and some people feel they can’t afford the out of pocket expenses of a private clinician, and so will go to a public hospital for treatment.

While the doctors, nurses, pharmacists and all the staff of the hospitals do a fantastic job in really tough circumstances, they will soon be hit with a tsunami of patients and with government cutbacks and state deficits, things look grim as far as waiting times go.

Receiving chemotherapy at home changes the whole paradigm.  This form of chemotherapy treatment has been around for a long time in the United Kingdom and parts of America.  It’s already proven safe and convenient through research and feedback, and can provide unlimited hospital beds for half the cost of having treatment IN the hospital system.  However, this form of treatment can’t be done efficiently from a public hospital perspective.  It’s been tried many times and due to the ever changing  nature of the public hospital system, that is, emergencies, bed closures and last minute cancellations etc, it has almost never been able to be done in an economically viable way in a public health sector. It really HAS to be done through a public private partnership.

Chemo@home is a WA based company providing chemotherapy-in-the-home for over five years in the private sector in both Perth and Adelaide (and soon in the eastern states). The overwhelming public response to this convenient, cost saving and quality form of care is proving that this is the way of the future and those hospitals and doctors resistant to change will really just be swept along by the consumers driven change of tide.

If you would like further information (or just a confidential chat) feel free to ring our team on 1300 466 324 (1300 HOME CHEMO) or go to www.chemoathome.com.au

If you would like to support the change even faster then please do tell your friends, and colleagues and let them know that there is a better way. 

And it’s here. 

And its GOOD news not bad.