Bhubaneswar: Very often, precious time is lost in the treatment of cancer patients, especially from rural areas due to lack of information. When they come to the city, they are clueless about which doctor to consult, which hospital to go to, where to get the medicines etc. Keeping this in mind, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar has now started the concept of ‘cancer navigators’ to assist cancer patients thronging the premier central hospital.
Cancer navigators will work with the assistance of Umeedein, a non-government organisation (NGO) to provide cancer patients with the right information on treatment centres, online and offline registration and other out of hospital assistance.
The service has already begun on a trial basis and is yielding good results in coordinating with the hospital and patients and bridging the doctor-patient gap, said the Medical Superintendent Dr S Mohanty.
A navigator is expected to guide and assist patients coming from rural areas and others in their registrations, where to visit for treatment etc.
Considering the inflow of cancer patients from all over the state, around 200 patients in the surgical OPD alone, navigators can guide the patients so that they get the right treatment at the right time and their morale also remains high.
Navigators are being successfully used in premier cancer hospitals like Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital. They are a single source of guidance for patients. They help in filling up forms, telling the patients about available government schemes and ways to avail them, informing them with information on like from where to get blood, medicines and other information ion supportive facilities.
