HEALTH POLICIES

ELLOK advocates for the implementation of a modern, functional National Cancer Control Plan, based on a reliable National Cancer Registry, and of a National Cancer Institute, as the prerequisites for effective cancer control and a well-performing and sustainable cancer care system.

Greek health authorities have till now embraced patient-centeredness only in words. We claim patient-centeredness in action: the institutional representation of cancer patients, as equal partners, before all cancer and public health competent bodies, committees, organizations. Our key cancer policy priorities include the activation of the National Cancer Institute (already legally established since 2019) and the legalization of the establishment of the National Network of Precision Medicine in Oncology.

Our policy recommendations for timely access to new medicines are included in the white paper submitted to the Parliamentary Inter-party Committee for the Development of a Long-term National Strategy for Medicines.

ELLOK has also presented the cancer patient perspective in public consultations of new projects of law, among other on mental health, access to new innovative medicines, primary healthcare, the establishment of the National Public Health Organisation, the digitalisation of health services, the reimbursement of cancer biomarkers, reimbursement of medications for comorbidities or adverse effects of cancer treatments, etc.

Personalized Medicine, access to innovative cancer treatments and new more efficient diagnostic and prognostic methods are key policy areas of ELLOK. We advocate for the timely update of the reimbursed cancer biomarker tests list, so that approved and reimbursed expensive newer targeted cancer medicines, which are available under controlled access, can be prescribed together with the pertinent biomarkers to the patients who may most benefit of them.