Strong fears of losing assistance rights. And the greatest fear, that of losing the right to care. It is the health crisis effect feared by women with metastatic breast cancer. According to what emerges from a survey conducted by Gfk Eurisko for Europa Donna, with the unconditional contribution of Amgen, presented in Milan, the spending review and the reduction of resources allocated to health care are scary for them too. So much so that 56% of the interviewees believes "strongly or fairly" that, in this moment of Italy's economic crisis, his right to be assisted could be less guaranteed.
The patients recounted their experiences, unexpressed needs, anxieties and fears. And among the statements collected as part of the investigation, there are also references to the crisis. "I find it deeply unfair that anticancer treatments can be denied to those who could benefit from them, for reasons of containing public spending - underlines a patient - It is not by denying treatment to cancer patients that state accounts will be straightened. Cancer patients need to rapid therapeutic responses and to be able to have all the treatments available, adapted to their case". Another patient echoes her who mentions medicines instead: "We want to talk about newly approved medicines and the time that passes in vain before they reach the patient. The approval time in Italy can vary from 6 months to 2 years, depending of the region. Tell me if this is the right to treatment, which should be sacrosanct for us".
The patients were asked which cuts or price increases, in the hypothesis of a possible containment of health care costs, would put more difficulties or harm patients like her: the 91% replied by referring to medicines for the treatment of the disease,
the 59% for diagnostic exams, the 57% for specialist visits, the 38% for drugs for side effects, the 23% for travel reimbursements, the 12% for supplements and parapharmaceuticals.
Lucia Scopelliti – 24 May 2013 – PharmaKronos
