Fighting inequalities in childhood cancer: Childhood cancer care continues to suffer from widespread inequalities
“Despite improvements in treatment in recent years, cancer remains Europe’s leading cause of death in children aged over one” says Pamela Kearns (SIOPE President).
Inequalities in access to the best available care, expertise and knowledge for children and young people with cancer remains a critical issue across Europe.
These inequalities contribute to 20 percent differences in survival rates when comparing North and Western Europe with Central and Eastern Europe. There is a fundamental need to ensure childhood cancer centres meet a certain standard level of expertise and are continuously updating their ‘best practice’ Europe needs to recognise that paediatric cancer remains an urgent health and socio-economic issue.
We will work with all stakeholders to ensure the needs of childhood cancer patients, namely, equal access to the best treatment, care and innovative research, are at the forefront. Our ultimate aim is for all childhood cancer patients in Europe to have equal access to the best available standards of treatment and care, no matter their country of origin or residence
Read the op-ed article via The Parliament Magazine