Georgiadis: In 15 months, we managed to make progress on issues we have been discussing for years

Greece continues to be ambitious and proactive in the fight against cancer, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis said on Friday at the “Fifth Annual Greece Cancer Summit. Evaluating Europe’s latest cancer strategies”, organised by the Economist, in Athens.

“In 15 months, we have managed to make progress on many issues we have been discussing for years,” the minister underlined, referring to the cancer patient registry, which is a valuable tool for patients and doctors, as it can help them to better treat cancer.

He also referred to the financing and reimbursement system for biomarkers, as well as the protocols created for cancer. “We have the biggest challenge ahead of us, the national cancer strategy. The prime minister will soon call all the relevant bodies to discuss the issue and we estimate that announcements will be made in the current year,” the health minister said, adding that new treatments are now extending the life expectancy of patients and improving their quality of life.

“Although these treatments are expensive, they are also necessary and we are doing everything possible to ensure that they are available to the Greek patients in a timely manner,” he underlined, adding that “it is not easy but we are doing it as we have seen great progress and a significant increase in patient survival in recent years.”

Source: pagenews.gr