Covid: Family 'devastated' by cancer surgery cancellation

The son of a man with pancreatic cancer has said the last-minute cancellation of his surgery is "devastating".

Jodie Kane said that his father Vincent had been due to have his operation on Friday.

However, that procedure was cancelled by the Belfast Trust on Tuesday, as Covid pressures mount in hospitals.

The trust apologised, saying it had faced an 80% rise in the number of patients with Covid-19 admitted to hospitals since Christmas Day.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show, Jodie said that there was now "no guarantee" his father will get the treatment.

"To be told we had the chance of a very successful surgery on offer and then to have it taken away at the last minute is pretty devastating," he said.

"Even the surgeon himself said they would be concerned if it was to go on more than four weeks.

"There is an uncertainty hanging over us now that we don't know when he'll actually get that surgery or what the impact on his health is going to be."

Newtownards man Vincent, 68, did not receive treatment for some of his other symptoms, as it was planned that the surgery would help with those.

"Because they were hoping to get him straight into surgery, he hasn't had the blockage in his gall bladder addressed so he's jaundiced, he's covered in a rash, can't sleep, he's lost a lot of weight," Jodie said.

"Undoubtedly there are people worse off than us out there, but it is still a critical illness that he has got and it is one that we don't have an end in sight for, in terms of treatment.

"There must be a way of helping all those in need, or I suppose if you were being really honest about it, those who stand the best chance of surviving, making the decisions for the benefit of them.

"There's no guarantee that in six weeks time, surgery is going to be an option, because who knows what's going to happen with Covid?"

Jodie is calling on those who are breaking coronavirus regulations to think about the the "direct and indirect impacts" of their actions.

"We've every sympathy for anyone who has a loved one who needs ICU care because of Covid, but cancer and Covid are both life and death situations.

"We can minimise the risks of one of them as a collective society just by taking the necessary precautions.

"It could be someone they love, or their neighbour or someone in their community that's in the same situation as us in the very near future."

The Belfast Trust said it "would like to sincerely apologise" to those affected by the postponement of surgeries and said it had faced an 80% rise in the number of patients with Covid-19 admitted to its hospitals since Christmas Day.

It said decisions around surgery had been taken to reduce the number of ill patients on wards that would be more at risk than other from contracting coronavirus.

"This was an incredibly difficult decision to make and we did not take it without considering all the information available to us," the statement read.

"We do not underestimate the anxiety and distress this causes the patients and families affected and we deeply regret this.

"We would like to reassure those patients that we will do everything in our power to reschedule their operation as soon as possible."

The situation may deteriorate further in the coming weeks as the lag period for cases from the Christmas holidays plays out, Dr Alan Stout from the British Medical Association told the Stephen Nolan Show.

"That is our great fear, that is terrifying," he said.

"We have a health service, we have staff that are just exhausted, they're on their knees, they've been dealing with this for so long and the pressure builds and builds and builds.

"The next two to three weeks is truly frightening."