Cancer patients in this country take a significantly longer time from pre-diagnosis to their first chemotherapy session when compared to those in the United States.
That's according to one cancer researcher.
It formed part of the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce Health Seminar which is being done with the aim of closing gaps.
00:00The health care system is fraught with bureaucracy, archaic laws, lack of innovative drugs, long waiting times, overburden facilities, rising costs and other ills.
00:11So says the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce at its transforming health care, bridging gaps for a healthier future forum.
00:19According to chairman of the TTCIC Health Committee, Barry Tangwell, stakeholder partnerships across the board are crucial.
00:26But he says oftentimes they don't produce the desired results because individuals are not on the same page.
00:34Whether you're in finance administration, clinical care, ICT, insurance, retail or policy, we must sit at the same table, speak the same language and learn to row in the same direction.
00:48And that direction must be guided by one clear, unwavering compass, better outcomes for patients.
00:55Not bigger profits, not political points, not personal prestige, but people first, always.
01:03He notes advancements globally, saying some countries started with fewer resources than what are available to T&T.
01:10Tangwell calls for adaptation and investment in areas such as telemedicine, data, digitization and mobile health.
01:18According to general manager of Roche Central America, Caribbean and Venezuela, Alvaro Soto, the pandemic should have taught countries the power of partnerships, including the record time in which vaccines were developed.
01:32We talk about the importance of digitalization and use modern technology.
01:40What is the main, main blockage of that?
01:45I don't think it's about the fear of the transparency that that brings.
01:57The fear of transparency that will tell us where the problems are and where we should focus our solutions.
02:06Assistant professor at the University of California, Dr. Kimberly Badal, says, based on a study in 2021 with the Sangu Grandi Hospital,
02:15from the time a cancer patient presented with suspicious symptoms to when they had their first chemotherapy session, was about eight months on average.
02:23If you compare this to community health care, community health hospitals here in the U.S., it's about three times as long as to what we see here in the U.S.
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