Oncological Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Research Article
How to Cite
Fadeeva E.V. 2021. Oncological Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic — Sociologicheskaja nauka i social’naja praktika. Vol. 9. No. 1. P. 61-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/snsp.2021.9.1.7874
Abstract
The article is dedicated to a comprehensive assessment of the issues relating to providing medical care to oncological patients in Russia during the pandemic of COVID-19 coronavirus infection. The author highlights that the coronavirus situation has imposed a serious burden on the healthcare systems and exposed the existing problems in the organization of healthcare in most developed countries of the world. The pandemic has worsened the situation with the availability and quality of medical care provided to the population. The article places special emphasis on the explanation of the extreme vulnerability of patients with malignancies to COVID-19. Based on the analysis of statistical data and public surveys, we provide the estimated prevalence of oncological diseases on the territory of the Russian Federation. The study mainly focuses on the analysis of the current state of the oncological care system. The author has attempted to unveil the core causes of the worsened availability of oncological care to the population. The significant deterioration in the epidemiological situation has not only shown an urgent necessity to adjust the organization of healthcare to patients with malignancies, but also revealed the core problems of the oncological care system that aggravated during the pandemic: inadequate state funding in cancer fighting and suboptimal payment rates for oncological medical care, insufficient staffing, limited availability of diagnostics to the public, shortcomings of the drug supply system to oncological patients. In conclusion, the author substantiates the idea that the coronavirus pandemic should become a driver for the development of the public healthcare and oncological care systems.
Keywords:
health care, oncological care, health care system, staff shortage, provision of medicines, pandemic, coronavirus
References
1. Belova E. V. (2016). Bolevoj sindrom kak sotsial’naya problema: praktiki vypiski i otpuska sil’nodejstvuyushhikh lekarstvennykh sredstv. [Pain syndrome as a social problem. The practice of the prescription and sale of drastic]. Vestnik RGGU. Seriya «Filosofiya. Sotsiologiya. Iskusstvovedenie». No. 2. P. 145–155. (In Russ.)
2. Den’gina N. V., Mitin T. (2020). Rossijskoe obshchestvo klinicheskoj onkologii (RUSSCO) provelo sredi svoih chlenov povtornyj opros o COVID-19. [The Russian Society of Clinical Oncology (RUSSCO) conducted a second survey among its members about COVID-19]. Rossijskoe obshchestvo klinicheskoj onkologii. URL: https://rosoncoweb.ru/news/COVID-19/2020/06/03/ (data obraschenija: 10.11.2020). (In Russ.)
3. Zlokachestvennyje novoobrazovania v Rossii v 2017 godu (zabolevajemost I smertnost). (2018). [Malignancies in Russia in 2017 (incidence and mortality)]. Ed. by A. D. Kaprin, V. V. Starinsky, G. V. Petrova. M. : Moscow Scientific and Research Oncology Centre n. a. P. A. Hertzen — a branch of the FSBI National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. 250 p. (In Russ.)
4. Zlokachestvennyje novoobrazovania v Rossii v 2018 godu (zabolevajemost I smertnost). (2019). [Malignancies in Russia in 2018 (incidence and mortality)]. Ed. by A. D. Kaprin, V. V. Starinsky, G. V. Petrova. M. : Moscow Scientific and Research Oncology Centre n. a. P. A. Hertzen — a branch of the FSBI National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. 250 p. (In Russ.)
5. Kalinovskaya E. (2020). Onkologi zayavili o deficite 26 preparatov. [Oncologists announced a shortage of 26 drugs]. Farmacevticheskij vestnik. URL: https://pharmvestnik.ru/content/news/ Onkologi-zayavili-o-deficite-26-preparatov.html (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.)
6. Onkologicheskaya sluzhba RF: analiz rezul’tatov i finansirovaniya. Vyvody i rekomendacii. (2020). [Oncological service of the Russian Federation: analysis of results and funding. Conclusions and recommendations]. Vysshaya shkola organizacii i upravleniya zdravoohraneniem. URL: https:// roscongress.org/upload/medialibrary/2a9/Onkologiya_presentation_4.08.pdf (data obraschenija: 10.11.2020). (In Russ.)
7. Predostavlenie uslug po lecheniyu NIZ v period pandemii COVID-19: mestnyj opyt. (2020). [Providing NCD services during the COVID-19 pandemic: local experiences]. Evropejskoe regional’noe byuro VOZ. URL: https://www.euro.who.int/ru/countries/italy/news/news/2020/6/deliveringncd-services-in-a-time-of-covid-19-stories-from-the-field (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.)
8. Przhedetskaya N. V., Przhedetskiy Yu. V. (2020). Digitalization as a basis for ensuring the competitiveness of oncology service in Russia. [Russ. ed. :Cifrovizaciya kak osnova obespecheniya onkologicheskoj sluzhby v Rossii]. Vestnik Rostovskogo gosudarstvennogo ekonomicheskogo universiteta (RINH). No. 1 (69). P. 51–55. (In Russ.)
9. Rak legkogo: rasprostranennost’ i dostupnost’ lecheniya v Rossii. (2019). [Lung cancer: prevalence and availability of treatment in Russia]. VCIOM. URL: https://wciom.ru/index.php?id=236&uid=9827 (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.).
10. Rak: est’ li ot nego spasenie i kak s nim borot’sya? (2019). [Cancer: is there salvation from it and how to deal with it?]. VCIOM. URL: https://wciom.ru/index.php?id=236&uid=9546 (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.).
11. Rykov M. Yu. (2019). Medicinskaya pomoshch’ detyam s onkologicheskimi zabolevaniyami v Rossijskoj Federacii : tekushchaya situaciya i perspektivy razvitiya [Medical care for children with cancer in the Russian Federation: current situation and development prospects]. Onkopediatriya. No. 6 (1). P. 5–15. DOI: 10.15690/onco.v6i1/1993. (In Russ.)
12. Sostoyanie oncologicheskoy pomoshchi naseleniju Rossii v 2019. (2020). [Status of the public oncological care in Russia in 2019]. Ed. by A. D. Kaprin, V. V. Starinsky, A. O. Shakhzadova. M. : Moscow Scientific and Research Oncology Centre n. a. P. A. Hertzen – Starkov M. (2020). Pro rak v svoem otechestve. [About cancer in the homeland]. Farmacevticheskij vestnik. URL: https://pharmvestnik.ru/articles/Pro-rak-v-svoem-otechestve.html (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.)
13. Telnova E. A. (2010). O problemah lekarstvennogo obespecheniya v onkologii [On the problems of drug supply in oncology]. Menedzher zdravoohraneniya. No. 4. P. 30–35. (In Russ.)
14. Fadeeva E. V. (2019). Palliativnaya pomoshch’ v Rossii: sostoyanie i problemy. [Palliative care in Russia: condition and problems]. Sociologicheskaja nauka I social’naja praktika. No. 3. P. 109–119. (In Russ.)
15. Federal’nyj proekt «Bor’ba s onkologicheskimi zabolevaniyami». (2019). [Federal project «Fight against oncological diseases»]. Ministerstvo Zdravoohraneniya RF. URL: https://minzdrav.gov.ru/poleznye-resursy/natsproektzdravoohranenie/onko (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.)
16. Schepin V. O., Telnova E. A., Karpova O. B., Proklova T. N. (2019). O problemah palliativnoj pomoshchi. [About problems of palliative care]. Problemy social’noj gigieny i istoriya mediciny. No. 1. P. 36–40. (In Russ.)
2. Den’gina N. V., Mitin T. (2020). Rossijskoe obshchestvo klinicheskoj onkologii (RUSSCO) provelo sredi svoih chlenov povtornyj opros o COVID-19. [The Russian Society of Clinical Oncology (RUSSCO) conducted a second survey among its members about COVID-19]. Rossijskoe obshchestvo klinicheskoj onkologii. URL: https://rosoncoweb.ru/news/COVID-19/2020/06/03/ (data obraschenija: 10.11.2020). (In Russ.)
3. Zlokachestvennyje novoobrazovania v Rossii v 2017 godu (zabolevajemost I smertnost). (2018). [Malignancies in Russia in 2017 (incidence and mortality)]. Ed. by A. D. Kaprin, V. V. Starinsky, G. V. Petrova. M. : Moscow Scientific and Research Oncology Centre n. a. P. A. Hertzen — a branch of the FSBI National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. 250 p. (In Russ.)
4. Zlokachestvennyje novoobrazovania v Rossii v 2018 godu (zabolevajemost I smertnost). (2019). [Malignancies in Russia in 2018 (incidence and mortality)]. Ed. by A. D. Kaprin, V. V. Starinsky, G. V. Petrova. M. : Moscow Scientific and Research Oncology Centre n. a. P. A. Hertzen — a branch of the FSBI National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. 250 p. (In Russ.)
5. Kalinovskaya E. (2020). Onkologi zayavili o deficite 26 preparatov. [Oncologists announced a shortage of 26 drugs]. Farmacevticheskij vestnik. URL: https://pharmvestnik.ru/content/news/ Onkologi-zayavili-o-deficite-26-preparatov.html (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.)
6. Onkologicheskaya sluzhba RF: analiz rezul’tatov i finansirovaniya. Vyvody i rekomendacii. (2020). [Oncological service of the Russian Federation: analysis of results and funding. Conclusions and recommendations]. Vysshaya shkola organizacii i upravleniya zdravoohraneniem. URL: https:// roscongress.org/upload/medialibrary/2a9/Onkologiya_presentation_4.08.pdf (data obraschenija: 10.11.2020). (In Russ.)
7. Predostavlenie uslug po lecheniyu NIZ v period pandemii COVID-19: mestnyj opyt. (2020). [Providing NCD services during the COVID-19 pandemic: local experiences]. Evropejskoe regional’noe byuro VOZ. URL: https://www.euro.who.int/ru/countries/italy/news/news/2020/6/deliveringncd-services-in-a-time-of-covid-19-stories-from-the-field (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.)
8. Przhedetskaya N. V., Przhedetskiy Yu. V. (2020). Digitalization as a basis for ensuring the competitiveness of oncology service in Russia. [Russ. ed. :Cifrovizaciya kak osnova obespecheniya onkologicheskoj sluzhby v Rossii]. Vestnik Rostovskogo gosudarstvennogo ekonomicheskogo universiteta (RINH). No. 1 (69). P. 51–55. (In Russ.)
9. Rak legkogo: rasprostranennost’ i dostupnost’ lecheniya v Rossii. (2019). [Lung cancer: prevalence and availability of treatment in Russia]. VCIOM. URL: https://wciom.ru/index.php?id=236&uid=9827 (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.).
10. Rak: est’ li ot nego spasenie i kak s nim borot’sya? (2019). [Cancer: is there salvation from it and how to deal with it?]. VCIOM. URL: https://wciom.ru/index.php?id=236&uid=9546 (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.).
11. Rykov M. Yu. (2019). Medicinskaya pomoshch’ detyam s onkologicheskimi zabolevaniyami v Rossijskoj Federacii : tekushchaya situaciya i perspektivy razvitiya [Medical care for children with cancer in the Russian Federation: current situation and development prospects]. Onkopediatriya. No. 6 (1). P. 5–15. DOI: 10.15690/onco.v6i1/1993. (In Russ.)
12. Sostoyanie oncologicheskoy pomoshchi naseleniju Rossii v 2019. (2020). [Status of the public oncological care in Russia in 2019]. Ed. by A. D. Kaprin, V. V. Starinsky, A. O. Shakhzadova. M. : Moscow Scientific and Research Oncology Centre n. a. P. A. Hertzen – Starkov M. (2020). Pro rak v svoem otechestve. [About cancer in the homeland]. Farmacevticheskij vestnik. URL: https://pharmvestnik.ru/articles/Pro-rak-v-svoem-otechestve.html (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.)
13. Telnova E. A. (2010). O problemah lekarstvennogo obespecheniya v onkologii [On the problems of drug supply in oncology]. Menedzher zdravoohraneniya. No. 4. P. 30–35. (In Russ.)
14. Fadeeva E. V. (2019). Palliativnaya pomoshch’ v Rossii: sostoyanie i problemy. [Palliative care in Russia: condition and problems]. Sociologicheskaja nauka I social’naja praktika. No. 3. P. 109–119. (In Russ.)
15. Federal’nyj proekt «Bor’ba s onkologicheskimi zabolevaniyami». (2019). [Federal project «Fight against oncological diseases»]. Ministerstvo Zdravoohraneniya RF. URL: https://minzdrav.gov.ru/poleznye-resursy/natsproektzdravoohranenie/onko (data obraschenija: 26.10.2020). (In Russ.)
16. Schepin V. O., Telnova E. A., Karpova O. B., Proklova T. N. (2019). O problemah palliativnoj pomoshchi. [About problems of palliative care]. Problemy social’noj gigieny i istoriya mediciny. No. 1. P. 36–40. (In Russ.)
Article
Received: 24.11.2020
Accepted: 28.03.2021
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
Harvard
Fadeeva, E. V. (2021) ’Oncological Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic’, Sociologicheskaja nauka i social’naja praktika, 9(1), pp. 61-73. doi: https://doi.org/10.19181/snsp.2021.9.1.7874.
Section
SOCIOLOGY OF MEDICINE
Publisher: Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FCTAS RAS)