Editorial debate: Challenges we oncologists, working within a universal healthcare system, have to face in these hard times

2020

I have been very much impressed by the clarity, pragmatism and good medical judgement of the article by Camilo Porta,1 a respected and dedicated ESMO faculty member and friend, giving his personal perspective on real issues many oncologists working in a public system are eventually facing during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. I understand Professor Porta is voicing what many oncologists from countries deeply affected by the pandemic, such as Italy or Spain, may think. Although I concur with most of his approaches and comments, I would like to complement some of these statements with some additional thoughts. Medicine was created more than 2500 years ago as a profession aiming at alleviating suffe…