Address by AKEL Parliamentary Representative Giorgos Loukaides at the hearing on “The new European Cancer Strategy and Cypriot reality”

 

19 February 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Dear friends,

First of all, I would like to thank you all for accepting our invitation and your presence here. As you know, as AKEL, we have always supported all organised groups and organisations that stand by patients and raise awareness of cancer issues in society. Your selfless contribution and the important work you are doing significantly strengthens our common fight against cancer.

The numbers are frightening, but unfortunately they reveal the reality. Every year, 5 million of our fellow human beings in Europe are diagnosed with cancer and 1.3 million lives are lost. In Cyprus, 1 in 4 Cypriots will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, while around 42 new cases of children up to the age of 19 are diagnosed with cancer every year. If we do not take decisive action now, cancer cases will increase by 18% by 2040, making it the leading cause of death across the EU.

The situation regarding cancer care is even more difficult today, as the pandemic has brought our hospitals to their knees due to the austerity policies that have been promoted for years by the Brussels directorate, forcing states to impose cuts on expenditure on health and the privatisation of the health sector. Things are even worse in Cyprus, since for many years we are lagging far behind across the EU with regards public spending on health care. It is indicative that for 2019, health expenditure per capita was just 1,881 euros, while the EU average was 3,523 euros. That is twice as high as in Cyprus.

The pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing infrastructure, equipment, consumables and workforce shortages in the public health sector in the EU, resulting in inadequate care for cancer patients, reduced screening, delayed diagnosis, postponed surgery and reduced access to medicines.

Thus, AKEL’s warnings that it is imperative to invest in public hospitals to ensure that there is equal access to quality health services for all, even in times of crisis, protecting health as a public, social good and as a basic human right, have been reaffirmed.

For AKEL and for the Group of the European United Left, the fight against cancer is a top priority. Following pressure from the European Parliament, in June 2020 we succeeded in the Plenary approving the creation of a new special committee (BECA) with a mandate to formulate a comprehensive European strategy to combat cancer.

With AKEL’s MEP Giorgos Georgiou assuming the task of shadow Rapporteur of the Report, we managed to have a substantial intervention and to include in the Report the need for equal access to prevention, early diagnosis and cancer treatments. This goal is very important, as there is currently a big gap between member states in the treatment of cancer and in survival percentages.

The European Parliament’s report, although it does not have legislative force, is a very important tool in our fight to eliminate inequalities in terms of prevention, early diagnosis and cancer treatments.

However, what is needed now is for political will to be demonstrated, both in Cyprus and at an EU level, to translate our proposals into practical action.

Particularly as far as Cyprus is concerned, there is much that needs to be done. Although the Head of Health Policy of AKEL, Athos Georgiou, will shortly outline our proposals in full, permit me to mention that Cyprus is the only country that does not have state-run oncology with radiotherapy departments. Public doctors are fighting against this incurable disease with few weapons at their disposal. Serious shortages remain. The work being done by voluntary organisations is both honorable and commendable, but it is unthinkable for the state that health services should be provided exclusively by voluntary organisations in a way that, in essence, replaces the role that the state must be playing.

Our steadfast position as AKEL is that the fight against cancer presupposes the strengthening of the public health sector. The creation of high quality Radiotherapy Centres and the existence of Oncology departments in all public hospitals in Cyprus is an absolute necessity. The Government must finally realise that it has an obligation towards cancer patients and act in this direction.

An important step is the National Cancer Strategy, which provides for public oncology services. We therefore call on the Government to engage in a consultation on the Strategy with involved parties to at long last set in motion its updating and implementation. We call for specific timelines to be set by the Ministry of Health, as well as the elaboration of a comprehensive plan for the establishment of Palliative Care Units and a holistic treatment strategy for our cancer patients.

Only in this way will we finally move from words to deeds.

Dear friends,

The EU must provide substantial assistance to member states, as stipulated in Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the Union itself, in order to achieve the highest level of public health protection. However, at the same time, it is also the duty of the Cypriot Government to provide substantial support to public hospitals and oncology centres, strengthening their infrastructure and staffing, so that access to high-quality public health services becomes a universal and inalienable right of all citizens.

The issue of fighting cancer and, by extension, of protecting public health must finally be placed above private profits and the interests of the pharmaceutical industry, so that we can achieve substantial results for the benefit of people and society.

As AKEL, we assure you that we will continue to struggle with all our strengths, both inside and outside Parliament, for effective support for patients and their families, constantly taking new initiatives.