An Extraordinary Recovery Plan after the Covid pandemic and the National Cancer Plan are essential: they contain the guidelines to be followed for prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The proposal of the Federation of Voluntary Associations in Oncology
Over a thousand cases a day, 377 thousand in a year. There are many Italians who are diagnosed with cancer. And if the numbers are growing, especially among women, thanks to the many advances made there are also good reasons to hope: mortality in our country is decreasing, while the number of compatriots living with the disease or recovering is rising. To date there are 3.6 million in total, equal to 6% of the Italian population (one Italian in 17, with an increase of 37% compared to 10 years ago) and at least one in four patients, almost one million people, returned to have the same life expectancy as the general population and can be considered cured. Dedicated to all of them and the millions of family members who assist them National Cancer Patient Day promoted by the Federation of Voluntary Associations in Oncology, now in its 17th edition. Prevention, early diagnosis and new therapies have allowed us to achieve important successes – underlines Francesco De Lorenzo, president of Favo -, but the Covid pandemic has hit like a tsunami on those who already have cancer and on those who will get sick in the future. For this reason, more than ever, the new National Cancer Plan (the last of 2011) is urgent and an Extraordinary Recovery Plan is also needed for post-pandemic oncology.
Reorganize (urgently) to be able to cure everyone
In the last two years, patient associations, together with oncologists, have repeatedly raised the alarm: people with cancer and the population at risk are experiencing an emergency in the emergency caused by the indirect effects that Covid-19 has had on prevention and assistance. The data on the delays accumulated in the field of screening and diagnosis services, new treatments, hospitalizations, surgeries, visits and follow-up exams photograph a worrying situation. Our SOS on the oncological emergency launched in July 2020 was implemented by the Chamber and Senate, through resolutions approved unanimously with the request to the Government to adopt an Extraordinary Recovery Plan and a National Cancer Plan with the precise indication of activities, timing and financing, also making use of the PNRR – says De Lorenzo -. In February 2022, the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (Aiom) then declared that “in the absence of adequate planning that provides for the allocation of resources and dedicated personnel, the oncologies of our country will not be able to deal with the wave of advanced cancer cases, estimated in the coming months and years “. In addition, by 2035 the number of lives lost due to oncological diseases will increase by over 24%, making cancer the leading cause of death in the European Union.
Concrete proposals of models to follow
What should be done then? An answer comes from the 14th Report on the welfare conditions of cancer patients, presented (as per tradition) in the context of the National Cancer Patient Day. The volume contains 10 strategic levers, 40 concrete actions and concrete proposals to support projects at an economic level: use the funds for the European Plan for the Fight against Cancer (4 billion euros), the national operational plan for the health of the South ( 625 million euros), the loans provided for by Mission 6 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (15.63 billion euros) and the appropriations for the recovery of waiting lists (approximately 1 billion). The solutions proposed in the Report are the result of an evaluation model developed by All.Can Italia with the technical contribution of IQVIA and with the coordination of Favo. The extraordinary recovery plan for post-pandemic oncology must start urgently from the planning of concrete actions to improve hospital-territory paths and reduce waiting lists, supporting the regions in the concrete implementation of the Regional Oncological Networks – continues De Lorenzo -. In particular, the new care settings envisaged by the PNRR will be enhanced and, to this end, it will be necessary to reorganize the pathway of the oncology and oncohematology patient by defining new organizational models, increasing the workforce. Finally, with regard to the New National Oncological Plan, it is necessary to enhance the community medicine on the one hand and the role of the IRCCS and centers of excellence on the other. investing in cancer screening, upgrading intermediate care and integrated home care and increasing access to scientific innovation is a priority.
The voice of the institutions
The delays in accessing oncological services have not yet been recovered – says Senator Paola Binetti -: although in 2021 there was a resumption of welfare activities, this is still insufficient. It is necessary and urgent to focus on a reorganization of the networks, taking into account the indispensable prevention which alone allows a real promotion of health, through the equity of access to diagnosis and treatment with high quality standards, which allow greater and improved quality of life for cancer patients. What is hoped for – underlines the Honorable Elena Carnevali, Parent Pd in the Social Affairs Commission of the Chamber – exhaustively illustrated by the document “The Extraordinary Recovery Plan for Post-Pandemic Oncology”, a useful tool to quickly prepare the new Oncological Plan National. It is necessary to make the best use of the resources of the National Health Fund and the PNRR and define the resources to be assigned in particular to the reorganization of oncological networks, which are indispensable in each region. It is necessary to have certain timelines on the approval of the new National Oncological Plan, on which we recently asked the Ministry of Health – concludes the honorable Angela Ianaro declares -. The delays in screening, diagnosis, new treatments and surgical interventions, with devastating consequences for millions of patients, make it no longer possible to postpone the adoption of an extraordinary plan for the recovery of post-pandemic oncology that will allow us to be concrete actions to face this emergency. It is necessary to proceed to an effective reorganization of the networks, to overcome the regional gaps, and to improve the hospital-territory pathways.
May 12, 2022 (change May 12, 2022 | 19:52)
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