Washington, D.C. (April 7, 2021)—More than 290 international, national and regional cancer organizations around the globe including the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC), European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the European Cancer Organisation (E.C.O) launched a Joint Letter on Covid-19 and Cancer on the occasion of the World Health Day, April 7, 2021. The letter has been presented to the general public and media in an online event and it is being distributed to policymakers globally.
Coronavirus has brought suffering to all health systems but especially has had a profound impact on people previously affected by other diseases, particularly cancer, in all countries around the world. It has consequently induced serious outcomes in the diagnosis and treatment of current and future cancer patients, disrupting cancer screening and delaying or alternating cancer treatment.
“With this letter, we call for policymakers in every country to ensure that patients can access diagnosis and treatment safely, to identify the real impact of the pandemic on cancer services and design services to mitigate this, and to resource cancer services properly and safely for the long term,” said ACCC President, Krista Nelson MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW.
“Cancer organizations are aware about the enormous pressure under which health care systems are nowadays. It’s necessary to address immediately cancer care in order to support governments in their efforts to help cancer patients globally. We are ready to work more closely with policymakers to improve the situation,” explained Jacqueline Daly, ECPC Secretary Board.
The global campaign on the Joint letter on COVID-19 and cancer aims at bringing together relevant stakeholders and demand from governments to make a difference by stating “I am committed, and I will invest in prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer.”
Last week, The White House declared that April 2021 would be known as National Cancer Control Month. ACCC believes this is a great first step of many that will draw attention to the importance of cancer screening and focus on much needed resources for the cancer community.
Media can register for the 4/7/2021 noon EST press conference here.
To view a copy of this letter, please visit: https://ecpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Joint-letter-on-COVID19-and-cancer.pdf.
The Joint letter remains open until 21st April 2021 for further endorsements of any relevant stakeholders including patient associations, academia, research organizations or industry. The initiative can be supported through this link.
For more information on ACCC Covid-19 resources, please visit: https://www.accc-cancer.org/home/news-media/coronavirus-response.
If you have any questions about this press release or would like to discuss in further detail, please contact Kristin M. Ferguson, ACCC Senior Director, Cancer Care Delivery & Health Policy, at 301.798.6463 ext. 213 or kferguson@accc-cancer.org.
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN CANCER PATIENT COALITION (ECPC)
European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC) is the voice of cancer patients in Europe. With over 450 members, ECPC is Europe’s largest umbrella cancer patients’ association, covering all 27 EU member states and many other European and non-European countries. ECPC represents patients affected by all types of cancers, from the rarest to the most common.
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