The Garrahan Hospital announced this Tuesday that it will coordinate the National Program for the Care of Boys, Girls and Adolescents, with the aim of reducing morbidity and mortality from cancer in the pediatric population, and improving the quality of life of patients and families in the transit of treatment and care, within the framework of International Childhood Cancer Day, which is commemorated every February 15.
with the recent regulation of the Oncopediatrics Lawthe national reference hospital will play a fundamental role in articulating with health centers throughout the country that care for oncological pathologies in children and adolescents, through the search for available solutions for the diagnosis, referral and treatment of patients .
“The implementation of the new Law gives a framework of obligation and requirement at the federal level to the work that the hospital has been doing as an interconsultant, accompanying the second or third opinion, training the human talent of many centers in the country, putting the and patients at the center and trying to maintain their quality of life throughout the treatment”, highlighted the Executive Medical Director, Patricia García Arrigoni.
In Argentina, 80 percent of children and adolescents with cancer care in the public health system. Of them and they, some 520 patients per year are treated at the Garrahan.
In this sense, the Garrahan groups the treatment of 40 percent of this population with survival rates between 70 and 80 percent.
“Survival in childhood cancer has improved in the last 20 years. Garrahan contributed to this because of the large number of girls and boys we care for. Achieving equity and lowering mortality are the main objectives and we will contribute this as an institution in the context of our work that is carried out throughout the country,” said Pedro Zubizarreta, head of the Garrahan Hematology and Oncology service.
“The role of the Hospital is important in the context of a collective, recognizing the work and capacities of each center and seeking to improve the opportunities of each girl, boy and adolescent. The joint work occurs horizontally,” he added.
One of the main challenges in cancer treatment is avoiding unnecessary travel. Since almost 50 percent of patients with oncological diseases migrate at some point during their treatment to other provinces.
The Garrahan will work according to the new Law to avoid uprooting and add quality of life to families.
Besides, the regulations seek to guarantee free, adequate and timely access to health coveragefrom a rights-based approach and in all phases of the disease, establishing an economic allowance provided by the National Social Security Administration (Anses) to patients who are under active treatment, as well as transportation, adequate housing and issuance of work licenses destined to one of the parents or those who are in charge of the patient while the treatment lasts.
