The U.K. Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) has reacted enthusiastically to a plan submitted by Members of Parliament that calls for radiotherapy to be the focus of cancer recovery services in order to meet demand for cancer treatment in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Radiotherapy (APPG) is calling for the U.K. government to facilitate making radiotherapy accessible to patients caught in a treatment backlog due to the novel coronavirus, establish a national task force on radiotherapy services, and to invest in IT, radiotherapy devices, and an expanded workforce.
"The RCR supports the APPG's plan urging rapid investment in radiotherapy in order to provide the best possible care for cancer patients," RCR president Dr. Jeanette Dickson said in a statement released on 6 July. "Prior to the pandemic the oncology workforce was already overstretched, using a significant number of ageing and inefficient radiotherapy machines, and working around haphazard IT infrastructure. Now more than ever, funding and leadership is required to ensure radiotherapy can meet the likely increased demand for treatment."
