The quality of cancer care including “prevention, diagnosis and treatment” in Portugal varies from region to region, say a majority of health professionals (74%).
“Unequal” access to cancer care is actually “the biggest health concern” for the 600 health professionals queried in a recent study.
Most of them (82%) also believe cancer patients don’t have access to the “most advanced and effective treatments” because the government does not invest enough money.
For 74% of those queries, the lack of health professionals at “primary health units and hospitals” is another huge struggle in the battle against cancer – while 68% stress there is currently no national cancer screening initiative.
The study was conducted by the Portuguese Society of Oncology (SPO) and Encontros da Primavera de Oncologia and will be officially presented along with other findings this afternoon (April 24) at the Évora Hotel in Évora.
