On 30 January 2018, the All.Can initiative, the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL), the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO), and the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC) led a seminar with the MEPs Against Cancer (MAC) group in the European Parliament, focusing on improving the efficiency of cancer care across the European Union. The seminar was hosted by Lieve Wierinck MEP.
The seminar gave a diverse audience of MEPs, academics, patient groups, industry members and other stakeholders the opportunity to hear about concrete examples of programmes and initiatives that have improved the efficiency of cancer care. There was also discussion of the work being done by All.Can and ECCO on how we can foster a culture of efficiency while improving access to innovation across the cancer care pathway. The objective of the seminar was to discuss how MAC and European institutions can work with Member States to amplify existing efforts seen at a national level, and help share and implement best practice at scale.
The MAC group was introduced by Dr Sakari Karjalainen, President of ECL, which provides the secretariat. Representing All.Can, Dr Suzanne Wait discussed some of the main issues policymakers face when trying to achieve efficiency in cancer care. Dr Lydia Makaroff, Director of ECPC, gave a keynote speech presenting examples of best practice from different countries and perspectives across Europe.
Lydia Makaroff, Director, ECPC, said: ‘The All.Can initiative can identify practical examples of waste and inefficiency by sharing best practice throughout Europe. This will then enable us to share concrete solutions to reduce inefficiency in cancer care and improve access to support.’
In March 2017, Lieve Wierinck MEP proposed the resolution behind including measures aimed at improving efficiency in cancer care in the European Semester. In her continued commitment, she said: ‘As we all look at ways to improve the sustainability of healthcare, we as policymakers need to make sure we are focusing resources on what matters to patients, and find innovative solutions to improve efficiency across the entire care pathway – from small-scale efforts to system-wide changes.’
The seminar concluded with a round-table discussion with a diverse panel of experts:
- Dirk Van den Steen, Policy Officer at DG SANTE
- Ian Banks, Chair of the ECCO Patient Advisory Committee
- Amadou Diarra, Head of Global Policy, Advocacy & Government Affairs at Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Pascal Garel, Chief Executive of the European Hospital and Healthcare Federation (HOPE)
- Rosna Mortuza, Director of Implementation, International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM)
- Herb Riband, Vice President of International Policy & Government Affairs at Amgen.
A full report of discussions at the seminar will be published in early February on www.all-can.org. For more information, please contact secretariat@all-can.org.