Medical groups fear more Australians will become seriously ill and die as lockdowns create appointments backlog

Doctors fear the worst for some Australians because of missed medical appointments delayed by Covid lockdowns.

More Australians will become seriously ill and die as Covid lockdowns continue to delay diagnoses for conditions like cancer, type two diabetes and heart disease.

And the Australian Medical Association has warned the nation’s healthcare system is facing a “perfect storm”, as clinicians try desperately to catch up on the serious backlog of missed screening, diagnostic procedures, treatments, and surgeries while still having to contend with the burden of Covid-19.

“We are talking about a perfect storm – we’re waiting for this to happen and I think it’s going to be a lot sooner than we think,” said AMA Vice President Dr Chris Moy.

He said cancers such as bowel, skin and breast were deeply concerning as early detection could often mean the difference between life and death.

“It’s not just cancer though, it’s high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and glaucoma and of course mental health,” he said.

Australian Medical Association Vice President Dr Chris Moy said clinicians fear more Australians will become seriously ill and die as lockdowns continue to delay diagnoses for serious conditions. Picture: Supplied

Dr Moy said many patients had struggled to see their doctor often due to difficulties during Covid lockdowns.

And while telehealth was playing an important role in providing some medical services, many health checks needed to be done face-to-face.

“Telehealth can be tricky and some people just aren’t getting care at all,” Dr Moy said.

He highlighted the case of a patient he had not seen for a couple of months last year, and when he did present, was diagnosed with lymphoma.

“He had it for a couple of months,” Dr Moy said.

“There will be people who die from heart disease because it was not picked up because the patient did not present. This will have already happened.”

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners President Dr Karen Price, said patients are already presenting with conditions “that could have been managed more effectively by a GP at first instance.”

“This has been a lingering problem since on the onset of the pandemic. A June 2020 survey of more than 700 people found 32 per cent of respondents had delayed or avoided a visit to a GP in the previous three months and 21 per cent had missed or put off a pathology test.

“The pressures facing paramedics and hospital healthcare workers in places like Melbourne are significant. That is due to a range of factors; however, a key part of the problem is patients putting off medical care during successive lockdowns,” she said.

Cancer Australia found national reductions in total monthly services for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for five key cancers during the initial Covid-19 period between March and May 2020. Picture: iStock

The Breast Cancer Network Australia’s director of Policy and Advocacy Vicki Durston fears a looming wave of severe cancer cases due to delayed diagnosis.

In Victoria’s Covid lockdown of 2020, there were 2500 missed cases of cancer – 300 of them breast cancer.

“There are 20,000 people diagnosed every year (with breast cancer in Australia), and that number won’t change because of Covid,” Ms Durston said.

“We know the longer you leave it, the cancer grows. We know that a four-week delay in cancer treatment is linked to an increase in mortality.”

She said she was confident the system would catch up on the backlog, but “it’s going to take a long time”.

Cancer Australia found national reductions in total monthly services for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for five key cancers during the initial Covid-19 period between March and May 2020.

The Sax Institute tracked the indirect effects of Covid on the NSW health system during the first wave of the pandemic last year and recorded a dramatic reduction of activity across the board.

Breast screening was down by more than 50 per cent, hospital emergency department presentations fell by 14 per cent, face-to-face GP visits down by 22 per cent.

There was also a decrease in people presenting with stroke and heart attack.

Originally published as Medical groups fear more Australians will become seriously ill and die as lockdowns create appointments backlog