The life of Begoña Barragán (Madrid, 1960) stopped when he was diagnosed with a lymphoma in an advanced state 24 years ago. He survived and today gives voice to cancer patients as president of the GEPAC. The denunciations of oncologists have allowed him to build «the … Complete map »of what is happening. “You have to thank the doctors who have had the courage to take the step forward and take the face for the patients,” he emphasizes.
“What rights does a patient have?”
—The first, fundamental, is to have all the complete information about the diagnostic and treatment options. And of course receive the best treatment available at all times, the most appropriate in those circumstances.
“When did you hear for the first time talk about HEALTH-Bienzobas ATRES?”
– Time, but I did not relate it to any abusive practice or with bad praxis until recent times in which information from patients and health professionals has reached me.
Video: Thus tries to reduce the cost of cancer treatments
“Do you seem credible the complaints?”
—When health professionals are exposed to denounce already bringing this type of practices to light it is because there is a high credibility. It has to be true. If a healthcare professional tells me that non -clear practices are happening in terms of the quality of the treatments that are being prescribed to patients, which may be pressures not to put the most appropriate treatment, or therapies that are being denied, initially I believe it. And a patient not only tells me, he has the diagnoses, the tests, the treatments that have prescribed him. It is not that you can be confused. I am reading it in your reports.
—What assessment do you then do the Practices of ATRES?
– In many cases they are giving patients treatments that are not the most appropriate at the time they receive them and in many cases they are inviting them to move from private to public health. I understand that to save costs because we always talk about high economic impact treatments. Deriving patients to public health always has gravity because the patient begins to give tumbos, he feels in anyone’s land. And when it belongs to MuFace, it is still worse because it is in Limbo. With cancer we cannot be waiting for months to see what happens. On many occasions it is a matter of going fast.
– Since when do cases come to me that bad practices of Atrys?
—The time has come to me from MUFACE and from Gepac we try to help patients because we have a lot of contacts with oncologists.
“Is growth in patients suffering from these practices?”
—They are coming to us enough. I don’t know if it is alarmed by oncologists themselves.
—What consequences do you have an incorrect treatment?
– There are patients who do not exceed the disease, who have a worse quality of life or that the years of life they could have with adequate treatment are reduced. The main problem is in patients who do not know if they are putting the right thing. I am not so worried about the patients who give the alarm and are helped to receive the correct treatment. I am worried about the patient who does not have to know if he is receiving the best treatment available. It is a crime. That patient can die. We are very concerned with this situation, it seems very serious. We have to help patients know and worry. And it is a very large tension because you have enough with the diagnosis.
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