Three cancer patients got chemotherapy at the San Fernando Oncology Centre yesterday, as the first batch of mixed drugs were sent down to the San Fernando Oncology Centre from the St James Medical Complex.
A source said the drugs arrived on Wednesday evening and three patients who were in desperate need of treatment were facilitated yesterday.
Another batch of chemotherapy drugs was expected to be sent down yesterday so that another 13 other patients can receive treatment today.
Several cancer patients who have been awaiting treatment since February said they were hopeful that the Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh will make good on his promise to hire two more pharmacists to work at the Centre.
Sawack Ramdath said he has been waiting since February to get two sessions of chemotherapy for colon cancer. “People are really suffering in this country and it is unfair because even though we pay taxes we cannot get basic cancer medicine,” Ramdath said.
Since Monday, scores of terminally ill patients have been turned away from the centre after the lone pharmacist called in sick. Services had been curtailed since February after another pharmacist resigned from her position to take up a post at Tobago Regional Health Authority.
Since then only 13 patients have been receiving chemotherapy three times for the week, instead of 26 patients five days a week. The curtailment triggered a backlog which was exacerbated this week when all chemotherapy services were cancelled after the lone pharmacist fell ill.
Deyalsingh announced on Monday that training for two new pharmacists have already started. Chief Executive Officer of the South West Regional Health Authority Anil Gosine in an earlier interview said chemotherapy will be mixed at the North West, North Central and Eastern Regional Health Authorities and sent down to San Fernando over the next two weeks.
Once the pharmacists are placed on duty, Gosine said full oncology services will resume from May 21.
