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It is with great pleasure that I accepted your invitation to attend with you the opening of the 1st Oncology Forum organised by the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre, celebrating 25 years of successful operation of the Centre.
The Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre is the largest and most successful public-private partnership serving people with cancer experience. It is the first hospital in Cyprus and Greece to receive quality certification from Caspe Healthcare Knowledge Systems, the leading European hospital certification organisation. We are proud of the work of the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre for this important contribution to the suffering patient.
According to European Union figures for 2020, 2.7 million people were diagnosed with cancer in the European Union, while another 1.3 million people died because of it, including over 2 000 young people. In Cyprus, based on the Cancer Registry, we have about 4 000 new cancer cases per year. If no decisive action is taken immediately, cancer cases are expected to increase by 24% by 2035, making it the leading cause of death in the EU. The numbers inevitably call for immediate action by all countries.
The Department of Health, following the European Strategic Cancer Plan and taking into account the long-standing recommendations of the European Commission, is trying to tackle cancer through the actions it is developing. As an indication of the progress achieved, the following are the programmes and actions implemented by the Ministry of Health:
- The population-based breast screening programme for women has been extended to cover the 45-74 age group. Through the programme many women have been fully cured, detecting cancer at early pre-clinical stages.
- The implementation of the population programme for the detection of colorectal cancer in people aged 50-74 years is being promoted. Citizens belonging to this age group will receive an invitation from the Ministry of Health to participate in the programme explaining the procedure to be followed. Beneficiaries should see their personal physicians to obtain a referral for this analysis. The results of their test will be entered into the beneficiaries' personal file via the GESY software, with both citizens and physicians having direct access to the results.
- The implementation of the Prostate Cancer Population Programme is being promoted.
- The nine-valent vaccine against human papillomavirus - HPV was introduced to children aged 11-12 years.
- Significant grants are provided to Voluntary Organisations to run a multitude of programmes in the community to actively engage them in providing quality community care services.
- - Efforts are being made to establish a National Cancer Institute, which, among other things, will have the responsibility to proceed with the evaluation, accreditation and organization of all oncology services focusing on the key pillars of action of prevention, early diagnosis/treatment, research as outlined in the National Cancer Strategy.
With regard to palliative health care:
- Institutional palliative care services have been integrated through the SHI These services refer to the provision of palliative care services in the context of hospitalisation.
- Home-based palliative care has been integrated in the SHI. Reimbursement for these services provides for comprehensive health care for people with malignancy who need to receive palliative care for themselves and their families. The services provided provide for the involvement of a multidisciplinary team, with the participation of doctors, other health professionals, nurses, etc.
- The Ministry of Health is preparing a framework law on the provision of palliative care services to suffering patients, which will include quality assurance of the services provided, the operation and structure of centres offering palliative care.
The first concern of the Ministry of Health is that cancer patients who continue to fight their battle with the disease with dignity should feel that the State can guarantee them reliable, quality and effective care.
Dear colleagues,
Before closing, I would like to thank the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre for organising the Oncology Forum, which aims primarily to inform patients about issues that concern them, but also to provide a comprehensive presentation of developments in cancer, to inform patients about new treatments and drugs and to highlight prevention and early diagnosis.
I give a big shout out to the doctors, nurses and all the health professionals of the Centre who prove that our small country has a much larger medical outreach than its size.
I also congratulate the management and the Board of Trustees for their goal-orientation towards the upward trajectory of the Centre.
The Ministry of Health will continue to be a steadfast ally in the fight against cancer and I expect that we will continue with the same zeal in our fight against cancer for years to come.
In closing, I would like to give a warm round of applause to all cancer fighters, both those who have lost the battle and those who are fighting with dignity with their families as fellow travelers on this difficult journey. A journey for non-negotiable values such as a smile after a successful treatment .We owe that smile to every patient and their family.
Congratulating the organizers of this Forum I wish you every success.
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Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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