The Ministry of Health’s goal is to improve coordination—from cancer prevention and diagnosis to treatment and supportive care—with research informing the planning of services, noted Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides in a greeting on behalf of the President of the Republic at the 2nd Blue Route “Walking Together for Prostate Cancer Prevention.”
After pointing out that accurate information helps every man ask his personal physician or urologist the right questions and that the doctor can advise him on whether he needs to be screened, Mr. Charalambides added that the government has a responsibility to organize access to this screening.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The Minister of Health said that, in accordance with European guidelines, a prostate cancer screening program is being promoted, which provides for free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) every two years for men aged 50 to 69.
Furthermore, the Minister of Health stated that if a finding requiring further investigation arises, the relevant services must collaborate during the screening process to guide the patient to the next step, noting that we aim to strengthen this collaboration through the creation of the National Cancer Institute.
In this planning process, patient organizations convey the practical challenges faced by patients and their families and help clarify when more guidance is needed, what challenges a family faces during treatment, and what makes it easier to return to daily life, he said.
Mr. Charalambides recalled that a year ago, the President of the Republic walked the first Blue Route alongside representatives of organizations and citizens, adding that “the State does not merely walk alongside you, but stands by your side.”
Source: CNA
