The new general director of the National Cancer Institute (Inca), Roberto Almeida Gil, took office this Friday morning (3). With experience in the area of oncology since 1977, with passage through the leadership of the Clinical Oncology Service and the Medical Residency Program in Clinical Oncology, both at Inca, Gil highlighted that cancer is on its way to being the leading cause of death in the world. But that work on disease prevention and control can save lives.
“According to the 2023 estimate of cancer incidence and control, which Inca launched last year, 704,000 new cases of cancer are expected in Brazil for each year in the three-year period 2023 to 2025. The World Health Organization estimates that 6 million premature deaths from the disease could be avoided with awareness, planning, prevention and control of the disease. We want to reinforce our role as a national institute, working synergistically and intensely with the Ministry of Health, which adopted in this government the [combate ao] cancer as one of their priorities.”
He also reinforced the intention to strengthen the institution’s teaching and research areas, improving the work of assisting the population and producing knowledge at Inca.
“We want to continue forming prevention and early detection strategies, maintain and deepen our globally recognized role in tobacco control, which has old players with new methodologies to maintain slavery to nicotine. It is very serious work.”
Ministry of Health
Present at the inauguration ceremony, the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, highlighted the affection and empathy in Gil’s work throughout his career. According to her, Inca plays a fundamental role within the Unified Health System (SUS) and will collaborate in the program to reduce queues and support the national strategy in the field of oncology.
“At the same time that Inca is an institute based in Rio de Janeiro, with a fundamental role in directly providing assistance, we will reinforce this reference role, in a joint work agenda for the entire health system and also for all our international cooperation. ”
The minister pointed out that the government is working together, with inter-ministerial actions, for surveillance related to cancer, a theme that has always been on Inca’s agenda and will be reinforced from now on.
“We have many challenges. Brazil has made unparalleled progress in tobacco control, with an active participation in the Framework Convention [para o Controle] of Tobacco, with a prominent role nationally and internationally. We cannot lose this achievement. At this moment, we look at the Ministry with concern for the regulation of electronic cigarettes, they are guidelines that we will not encourage in working, in counting on Inca for the due technical and scientific foundation”.
Other issues that will be addressed by the government, according to Nísia Trindade, is the issue of smoking in youth, healthy eating and pesticides, “points that the Ministry of Health, together with other ministries, will certainly have to advance a lot.”
Career
Clinical oncologist, Roberto de Almeida Gil graduated in medicine from the Medical School of Rio de Janeiro at Universidade Gama Filho, in 1977, and completed a specialization course in clinical oncology at Inca, which he completed in 1981. While still at the institute, he headed the Clinical Oncology and coordinated the Clinical Oncology Medical Residency Program.
Between 2003 and 2005, he was president of the Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology and is also a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) and a member of the European Society of Clinical Oncology (Esmo).
