Each year, on average, 630 new breast cancer cases in women and five in men are recorded in Cyprus, Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela said on Wednesday in his address at the event to mark 20 years since the establishment of Europa Donna Cyprus that is launching a campaign for legislation ensuring Cancer Survivors’ Right to Be Forgotten and access to financial credit services.
The Minister said breast cancer is a major cause of death globally and of diminished quality of life for women, stressing that it is the duty of all decision-making centers to act so that all women in Europe have equal opportunities as regards participation in systematic screening programmes, and receive the most appropriate treatment, but also have a strong support network.
He referred to his Ministry’s breast cancer screening programme, that offers free mammograms to all women between the ages of 50 and 69, while, he said, it is now planning on expanding this to cover all women between 45 and 69.
Hadjipantela also said many women have been able to fully recover from breast cancer thanks to the screening programme, that contributes to early detection. He also referred to the state-of-the-art digital mammography equipment introduced in the programme but also the Breast Centre at the Nicosia General Hospital which offers a holistic approach and treats each breast cancer patient according to their needs.
EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, and founding member of Europa Donna Cyprus, Stella Kyriakides, in a recorded message, welcomed what has been achieved so far by Europa Donna Cyprus but also the commitment, determination and courage of all those who participated “in this great journey”.
Referring to the EU actions for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer, Kyriakides said that an important action of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan is the Right to be Forgotten.
The Commissioner said it was an “inalienable right” of every cancer survivor, to have the right to access to financial credit services, without any discrimination.
The EU, she said, calls on the Member States to guarantee, by 2025 at the latest, the Right to Be Forgotten to all cancer survivors, ten years after the end of their treatment and five years, for those diagnosed before the age of 18. She said other EU states such as Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Italy have legally ensured this right, while Luxembourg has entered into a special agreement with insurance companies to provide insurance for cancer survivors.
The President of the Board of Europa Donna Cyprus, Mary Perdiou, said they launched today a campaign aiming at a new law ensuring that cancer survivors will be able to have access to insurance coverage a number of years after their diagnosis and, by extent, be able to secure financial credit services.
Hadjipantela said he would take initiative, in cooperation with other competent Ministers, for expediting procedures for the preparation of such a bill.
Source: Cyprus News Agency