Cancer will become the number one cause of death in the world by 2010, confirms John R. Seffrin PhD, CEO of the American Cancer Society.
The burden of cancer has shifted from developed countries to developing nations and urgent steps need to be taken to address this problem in Africa.
South African cancer patients too face multiple issues on a daily basis.
Campaigning for Cancer, South Africa’s only organisation focused on cancer patient advocacy, today (15 September 2009) confirmed its commitment to empowering cancer patients and promoting their rights with the launch of its website and Cancer Patients’ Rights Charter.
The website, www.cancerhelp.co.za , offers useful tools to help cancer patients find advice on their rights. This will allow patients to take control of their cancer journey and ensure that they get the best possible care and support.
The Cancer Patients’ Rights Charter is the first of its kind developed with the input of all those working in the cancer field. .
“Patients need to know that they have rights: the right to ask questions, the right to information in layman’s language, the right quality care and support, and the right to quality of life,” says Neil Kirby, Chairperson of Campaigning for Cancer and Director of Health, Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences law at Werksmans Incorporating Jan S. de Villiers.
“Patients, along with their caregivers and families, play an extremely important role in the management of cancer. They must be encouraged to become active participants in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.” says Samantha Galliet, a breast cancer survivor and co-founder and CEO of Campaigning for Cancer.
The website provides assistance to patients and care givers that have been denied or limited access to treatment, benefits, medicine or healthcare – and wish to establish – what to do next.
“As the process differs substantially for those patients on medical aid, compared to those using Public Facilities the website explains what to do,” says Galliet.
Our message to cancer patients is to stand up and take responsibility for managing the treatment of your disease.
ENDS
Note to the Editor: About Campaigning for Cancer and Cancer Control
Campaigning for Cancer is an advocacy organisation formed in 2008 to give South African patients and those affected by cancer a voice.
As a fully-fledged NGO, Campaigning for Cancer lobbies for the promotion and protection of the rights of patients and those affected by cancer with regard to policy, healthcare costs and healthcare delivery for cancer control.
Cancer control is the use of scientific based plans aimed at reducing cancer risk, the number of people diagnosed and dying from this disease and improving the quality of life of cancer patients.
These different components of cancer control are:
- Prevention - which includes education, awareness and preventative screening
- Diagnosis - which includes treatment and palliative care
- Advocacy
- Research
There are numerous organisations dealing with issues relating to cancer prevention, education and awareness, diagnosis, screening, treatment and palliative care; Campaigning for Cancer is the only organisation focused on advocating for cancer patients’ right.
Campaigning for Cancer collaborates with corporate law firm, Werksmans Incorporating Jan S. de Villiers, in a “walk together” approach of active engagement around cancer patients’ healthcare rights and healthcare law in general.
There are a number of critical issues, aside from the lack of an official cancer control plan, that affect South African cancer patients and those affected generally by the disease. For instance there is no up-to-date central repository of credible data on cancer incidence and mortality, and there is a great disparity of access to treatment from province to province.
