Akhil Chopra/LinkedIn
Jun 17, 2025, 21:36
Akhil Chopra: Chemotherapy kills cancer – but who heals the soul?
Zac Zhuang, Senior Specialist of Supportive and Palliative Care at OncoCare Medical Pte Ltd (Singapore), shared a post on LinkedIn:
” ‘Chemotherapy kills cancer— but who heals the soul?’ This line from today’s Straits Times opinion piece by Akhil Chopra speaks deeply to those of us working in cancer care.
In the private sector, access to mental health support remains deeply uneven. Psychiatrists may be covered by insurance—if on-panel and meeting strict criteria.
But psychologists, counsellors, and social workers —those who walk with patients through fear, grief, and identity loss—are often not covered. Sessions usually require upfront payment, creating a real barrier to care.We routinely fund physical rehabilitation (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, etc.) So why don’t we treat emotional rehabilitation with the same importance? If we believe in whole-person care, we need to:
Expand access to psychosocial support—both inpatient and outpatient
Rethink what insurance considers “essential”
Remove cost barriers that silence suffering
Because healing isn’t just tumour response. It’s dignity, clarity, and peace of mind.”
Valerie Yang, Senior Medical Oncologist at OncoCare Cancer Centre, shared a post by Zac Zhuang, adding:
“Thanks to a fantastic colleague Dr Akhil Chopra for articulating this so well. More support is needed for our cancer patients, a diagnosis that strikes us at our very core.”
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