Double-edged sword of limiting healthcare provision for children in times of COVID-19: the hidden price we pay

摘要

In the first week of the UK lock-down, a 2-year-old boy was referred to be evaluated for very-early-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at the Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology at a tertiary care hospital in the UK. At the same time, gearing up for the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHS was in the process of steering towards an ‘essential treatments only’ national healthcare provision pathway. To optimise capacity in anticipation of the expected wave of Sars-Cov-2 emergencies, physicians were asked to postpone all non-urgent clinical activities including face-to-face outpatient visits, diagnostic procedures and hospital-based therapies.