Cancer screening acceptance rates need to be improved - Zammit Dimech

Latest generation medication must be made available

We need to ensure that screening services are not only available but that their acceptance rates are also high. In this regard more awareness is necessary. MEP Francis Zammit Dimech made these remarks at the European Parliament during a debate with Commissioner for Health Vytenis Andriukatis on policy challenges and strategies against cancer in women.

Zammit Dimech said that thanks to professionals, Malta has a survival rate of 87% when it comes to Breast Cancer. He said that more investment was needed to support these results and to help the Breast Cancer Unit which is already certified by the Breast Cancer Network to develop, further taking into account the guidelines of the European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA).

Zammit Dimech, a member of the MEPs against Cancer Working Group, said that the government should also ensure that the latest generation of vaccines is made available when it comes to cancer prevention. Earlier this week doubts were raised on the choice of cervical cancer vaccine with claims being made that more modern vaccines offer more protection. The importance of vaccines in the fight against cancer was also raised by Commissioner Andriukatis who spoke on the need to fight vaccine hesitancy.

Zammit Dimech thanked Cancer NGOs for their work. He said that over the years, Cancer NGOs had completed excellently the national health services. He added that thanks to assistance given by professionals and volunteers, such NGOs had over the years gained a lot of experience and expertise and thus it was crucial for such NGOs to be involved in development of EU health and cancer policies.

Zammit Dimech said that the fight against cancer should not be of one particular member state or another. An EU approach was necessary if Europe wanted to reach the ambitious target of eradicating cancer in 20 years time. In this regard Zammit Dimech spoke also about the need for the research programme Horizon to include cancer research in its mission giving particular attention to paediatric cancer research and for more exchange of knowledge between European scientists.

On World Cancer Day, Francis Zammit Dimech launched the first set of proposals to step up the fight against cancer. The proposals included the need to promote healthy lifestyles and diets and to offer physiological support to patients during and after treatment. Zammit Dimech thanked all those patients, professionals, scientists and NGOs that had reached out to him with their feedback. Partit Nazzjonalista will be holding further consultation meetings and will be launching more proposals in the coming days. During the debate Commissioner Andriukatis appealed for the subject of cancer to be kept high in the political debate in the upcoming European Parliament elections.