Inequalities and Barriers to the Use of Health Care among Cancer Patients in the Pacific: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction and aim: According to the WHO, the cancer threat is expected to rise by over 70% within the next two decades. To prevent cancer and reduce the consequences of cancer among patients it is essential to understand the barriers. Due to the close relation between the barriers, and also inequality on one side and lack of previous study among Pacific countries on the other side, this systematic review was conducted to understand inequalities and barriers to the use of health care among cancer patients in the Pacific.

Health system constraints affecting treatment and care among women with cervical cancer in Harare, Zimbabwe

“…Due to lack of financial resources most women cannot travel to seek health services for screening and later on for treatment. These findings are in tandem with those of Mohammadnezhad et al [17] and Kuguyo et al [5] who reported limited and centralized screening and treatment services in low-income contexts.…”

“…Bad attitude towards patients with chronic diseases by health workers play a significant role in undermining health seeking behaviors [19] and may lead to patients resorting to alternative interventions. Unavailability of adequately trained health workforce reduces the availability of diagnosis and treatment services [17, 20]. Studies in the USA have reported that deficiency of knowledge and lack of training of health workers were barriers to cancer services supporting our findings [20, 21].…”

“…These findings are consistent with those of a Pacific region study which reported limited number of cancer specialists due to lack of resources and migration to “greener pastures”. Access to cancer treatment was reported as limited in the Pacific region as treatment centres were far away and patients were unwilling to travel long distances to seek screening and treatment services [17]. Our results are also supported by the reports of recent studies conducted in Zimbabwe which showed health system challenges to provide comprehensive treatment and care for cervical cancer [4, 5].…”

“…These strikes were also reported to have affected the treatment and care of cervical cancer patients. With the deterioration of working conditions, experienced health professionals may seek for better opportunities in foreign countries [6, 17]. This may result in understaffing and poor quality services in the country’s tertiary facilities compounding to the plight of women with cervical cancer.…”

Barriers to Accessing Oncology Services for Effective Cancer Care in the Public Health Institutions in Limpopo Province, South Africa: A Qualitative Study

“…A qualitative exploratory descriptive and contextual research design was utilised to explore and describe the barriers to accessing oncology services for effective cancer care in the public health institutions in Limpopo province [11]. The qualitative exploratory design research approach assists researchers in understanding the natural context of the participants as they detail how they experience the phenomena under study; the researchers can capture meaningful characteristics related to real-life events as experienced and narrated.…”