THERE is a serious backlog in people that need to have skin checks due to the COVID pandemic, when phone and video consultations became the norm.
Swan Hill Medical Group is about to get some help to help catch up in the form of Dr Hendrik Swanepoel.
Joining the team for four months, the South African-born physician has a keen interest in skin health.
Coming from a country that has a similar problem with skin cancer to Australia, Dr Swanepoel has developed expertise in the field both here and in South Africa.
He is no stranger to the region, having previously done several stints in Swan Hill, three months last year and five months from January to May this year.
Swan Hill Medical senior physician Dr Stewart Booth said it was very important to get checked out, as the earlier potential cancers are caught, the easier it is to treat them.
The advantage of getting checked for skin cancers, which consist of other types besides melanoma, is that a visual check is the most effective method of initial diagnosis.
“I think more and more people are becoming aware of the seriousness of melanoma, but they are not as concerned as to the seriousness of some of the other cancers such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma,” Dr Booth said.
“Squamous cell cancer can certainly spread to other parts of the body and it is the same type of cancer that invades the mouth or the lungs of a smoker.
“It’s important to get it looked at, it’s so simple to do.
“The backlog of skin checks goes from 2019 to recently when phone and video consultations were in place.
“There are so many things that we do as doctors that we really need to see the patient face to face and skin checks is one area that this is very important.”
