Vienna (OTS) – Vienna, February 28, 2024 – On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the “National Cancer Framework Program in Austria”, the Karl Landsteiner Society in cooperation with MSD Austria invited people to parliament. Experts from all stakeholder groups discussed previous developments as well as future requirements and challenges in cancer care.
“With the “National Cancer Framework Program in Austria”, an instrument was created in 2014 that has already initiated many groundbreaking developments nationwide. The measures defined there must now – 10 years later – be further advanced organizationally and in terms of content in a broad coordination process with the relevant decision-makers in order to meet the current challenges. I am confident that the program can and will be further expanded through collaborative work.”
said Dr. Josef Smolle, member of the National Council and health spokesman for the ÖVP, gave his welcoming words to the audience.
Austria in the upper midfield with room for improvement
In the subsequent keynote speech, Dr. Thomas Hofmarcher, Research Director of the Swedish Institute for Health Economics, compares Austria’s cancer care to that of the EU average. Although Austria ranks 10th in the upper midfield in terms of survival rate, there is still a lot of potential for improvement. Prevention in particular is described as a “problem child”. The lack of sufficient health data as well as its monitoring and evaluation is also highlighted as a point of criticism. “Nevertheless, Austria is a pioneer in some areas. For example, the availability rate of medication is particularly good. If you take into account the time that a drug takes from approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to its availability, Austria is clearly at the top of the EU. In order to maintain this top position, care must be taken to ensure that national evaluation mechanisms do not unintentionally extend this period of time.”
, explained Dr. Hofmarcher and thus opened the field for the panel discussion.
Data situation insufficient
The experts agree that a nationwide, updated cancer framework program can simplify and thus improve the quality of care, research progress and the transparency of treatment. The group of experts sees challenges in the availability of a standardized, validated and clinically relevant data set covering the entire course of treatment as well as the continuous quality management of this database. This is the only way to draw reliable conclusions about the success of certain prevention and treatment methods. The interested and expert audience also had their say in a question and answer session, took an active part in the lively discussion and contributed their various experiences. The audience was particularly moved by the topics of systematic screening programs, shortening the time between the initial diagnosis and the start of therapy and the professional reintegration of chronically ill people (which in many cases also include cancer patients). “The “Future Health” event series is once again dedicated to the highly important health issue of cancer. The discussions illustrate the current importance and the future central role of good cancer care and support for health in Austria. The experts agree that the “National Cancer Framework Program” is a valuable instrument that urgently needs to be further developed in order to be able to master the major challenges in oncology.”
, summarized Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schwarz, President of the Karl Landsteiner Society. Promoting research, prevention, detection, treatment and follow-up care for people suffering from cancer will continue to play a key role in future healthcare in Austria, which requires funding and constructive cooperation from all professions involved.
Claudia Schanza, MA, hosted the event. The “Future Health” event is an initiative of the Karl Landsteiner Society in cooperation with MSD Austria.
Extract of the statements (in alphabetical order):
Mag.a Dr. Christina Dietscher, Head of the Department of Non-Communicable Diseases, Mental Health & Geriatric Medicine, Section VI, BMSGPK“Our population is getting older, which increases the likelihood of developing cancer over the course of a lifetime. The program set an important course for achieving something in cancer prevention and cancer care. It offers a uniform concept that can be used as a guide, which is particularly advantageous in a country as fragmented as Austria. That’s why the current revision is so important.”
DGKP Danijela Dohnal-Suvajac, MSc, head of the Breast Care Nurses working group, AHOP “The concept of “Breast Care Nurses” is relatively new, but all the more important. The certification of breast centers in recent years has also raised the voice for a specialized nurse who can play a central role for patients, but also the medical staff. A breast care nurse continuously supports breast cancer patients and offers comprehensive care in all areas of life. In order to continue to ensure such progress, updating the program is particularly important with regard to the expansion of a “Cancer Nurse” in order to be able to offer all cancer patients better care in the future.”
Prim. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hilbe, Head of the Center for Oncology and Hematology, Ottakring Clinic; Past-President of the ÖGHO“Screening must be able to take place at a low threshold and across the board in order to ensure early diagnoses. In the best case scenario, this amount of data should of course be evaluated sensibly. Unfortunately, in Austria we are experiencing a massive lack of networked health data. This makes communication and subsequent evaluation and breakdown of various illnesses difficult. These structural problems need to be overcome and addressed in the update of the cancer framework program.”
Anita Kienesberger, chairwoman of the Alliance of Oncological Patient Organizations„Das „Right to be forgotten“ (RBF(1)) is a point that eight countries in the EU have already taken up and that would also be incredibly important and valuable for Austria. The Alliance of Oncological Patient Organizations is ready to work on updating the national cancer framework program and to actively contribute its collective knowledge.”
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Paul Sevelda, President of Austrian Cancer Aid“Health is not a political issue. I would like to see Austria-wide solidarity here and that health education starts at kindergarten age so that we can subsequently achieve a healthy Austria without cancer.”
(1) The “Right to be forgotten” stipulates that ten years after completion of treatment, no medical information about a patient’s cancer may be available, especially for banks and insurance companies. It should be possible to forget about cancer under insurance law. The aim is to protect people affected by cancer from discrimination and to give them the same access to insurance as people who do not have cancer.
More pictures in the APA-Fotogalerie
Questions & Contact:
Karl Landsteiner Society
Mag. Verena Biribauer
Phone: +43 676 5747531
E-Mail: v.biribauer@karl-landsteiner.at
Markus Stickler, BA MA
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Merck Sharp & Dohme Ges.m.b.H
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markus.stickler@merck.com
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