Angeles Cruz Martinez
Newspaper La Jornada
Tuesday, September 13, 2022, p. 17
Civil organizations and senators from Morena, PRI and PAN met yesterday to begin the preparation of a general cancer bill in Mexico, which has taken decades to prosper, despite the fact that several administrations and legislatures have recognized the importance and necessity of having this instrument to strengthen the actions of prevention and control of malignant tumors.
Every year around 191 thousand new cases of neoplasms are registered, of which more than 70 percent are diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease, warned Kenji López, president of the Cancer Warriors Foundation of Mexico. He added that 83 thousand people die from this cause in the same period.
During the act held at the Memory and Tolerance Museum, the activist stressed the importance of having a law to ensure that patients receive the quality medical care they require.
To this end, coordination strategies between federal and state agencies and public and private health institutions will be designed. The goal is to eliminate the fragmentation of the health system that currently hinders access to services, he explained.
National Register
Another aspect that will be included in the cancer bill is the national registry of cases. Although this mechanism already exists in the General Health Law, so far it has not advanced. It started in Yucatan and Jalisco, but it does not operate due to lack of money, he pointed out.
Kenji López told legislators Alejandra Reynoso (PAN), Nuvia Mayorga (PRI) and Senator Omar Maceda, who attended on behalf of Miguel Ángel Mancera (PRD), that the creation of a commission made up of civil associations and patients is also planned . It will be a advisory arm
of the Ministry of Health (Ssa) in the national policy of prevention, detection and control of cancer.
In the project there will also be a section related to work licenses and paid leave days so that patients can attend their medical consultations, among other aspects.
The initiative promoted by a dozen civil organizations that support people living with cancer was supported by legislators, including Lilia Margarita Valdés (Morena), who sent a video message. They promised to work to achieve the approval of the law, although they recognized that it will be a job that requires patience
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