Dr. Taghreed Almahmeed has noted an alarming trend among cancer patients to make their own ill-informed decisions regarding their treatments, citing concerns related to Covid-19 and the vaccine
Dubai, UAE: A leading UAE cancer specialist is urging patients to seek full medical advice when it comes to looking at their treatment and concerns related to Covid-19.
Dr. Taghreed Almahmeed has noted cases of patients delaying appointments and making their own decisions related to Covid-19 vaccines rather than following professional advice – a concern for the healthcare profession in the industry.
It comes after The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report finding that tests received by women through CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program declined by 87 percent for breast cancer and 84 percent for cervical cancer during April 2020 as compared with previous five-year averages for that month.
The US board-certified surgeon and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) has urged people to listen and follow expert medical advice.
Dr. Almahmeed, said that while the UAE has tackled Covid-19 incredibly well and praises the very strong health system, she admitted some of her patients are obviously concerned about Covid-19. “It’s a complication with everything else they are dealing with. We have cases of people not returning for a consultation when they should as they think they need to wait until the Covid-19 situation improves and that is not an ideal scenario at all.”
Regarding the Covid-19 vaccine, she again implored patients to trust qualified medical practitioners, explaining that the UAE is a global leader for the vaccine programme and making uninformed personal healthcare decisions can have serious consequences.
“I had a case of a patient who thought she could not take the vaccine and then got ill with Covid-19. That could have been prevented as she could have taken the vaccine safely. Taking the expert advice and then making a decision is key.”
About Dr Taghreed Almahmeed:
Certified by the American and Canadian boards, Dr. Taghreed Almahmeed, who comes from an Emirati/Bahraini background, is a Consultant General Surgeon at Dubai’s Al Zahra Hospital, bringing more than two decades of experience to her role. In her current role, which she has held since 2016, Dr Taghreed specialises in all breast-related diseases including benign and malignant and performs breast surgery operations for her patients. She is also highly experienced in overseeing minimally invasive, bariatric and laparoscopic surgeries.
In her five years at Al Zahra Hospital, Dr Taghreed has established herself as a key member of staff, helping the institute serve the local community and provide premium medical assistance to UAE and international patients. Her extensive knowledge and expertise have seen her become the first elected American Board-Certified female surgeon that specialises in breast oncology cases to be part of the hospital’s Cancer Care Specialty team
