Sao Paulo, Brazil: Within the framework of World Cancer Day (last Tuesday, February 4), Alianza Latina organized the Seminar on Health Technology Assessment in Cancer care for Latin America, a training event in collaboration with The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), one of the most renowned educational institutions in the world, successfully held from February 18 to 20 in the city of Sao Paulo.
LSE Professor Panos Kanavos was the main moderator of the event together with Jean Mossman, member of the International Patient Interest Group in Health Technology Assessment. The objective of the event was to present some basic concepts, show the European model in the process of incorporating a new technology in health systems, share experiences among the participants, expose the different points of view and discuss the different roles among those involved. in the subject.
The event was attended by more than 30 representatives of Cancer Patient Organizations from all over Latin America, some international guests, and the distinguished presence of various important Brazilian authorities such as Renato Porto, Director of Anvisa – Agéncia Nacional de Vigiláncia Sanitária; Patrícia Ferrari, Coordinator of Clinical Research and Registration of New Drugs at ANVISA; Balbiana Oliveira, from research and clinical trials at ANVISA; Myrian Fernandes, from INCA and RINC (National Cancer Institute and the Network of National Cancer Institutes); and Clarice Petramale, President of CONITEC (National Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies in the Health System). The representative of PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) Flávia Poppe also participated.
Five goals were established for the coming years:
- Strengthen alliances and collaborative work between patient NGOs and government institutions.
- Reduce inequalities in health care, guaranteeing access to treatment for all patients.
- Monitor and audit current practices, compliance with legislation and processes in the health sector.
- Ensure universal access and quality in treatments.
- Expand access to quality information on treatments, laws and health systems.
Merula Steagall, president of Alianza Latina and ABRALE (Brazilian Association of Lymphoma and Leukemia), emphasized the need for alliances between NGOs and the government to provide patients with information on access to health technologies: “People need to understand how processes work and step by step in health systems”.
“It is very important to listen to all points of view (referring to the government, civil society and industry). If we all get together to work for the common good, we will get where we need to go”, highlighted Patricia Ferrari from ANVISA. For his part, Renato Porto, Director of ANVISA, praised the initiative and also reinforced the need to strengthen alliances between the government and patient NGOs.
For Clarice Petramale, from COMITEC, this initiative can have concrete results: “It is necessary to understand the difficulties of one and the other, only then will there be more possibilities for an alliance”.
The event was attended by institutions from Argentina (Fundación Aciapo, Fundación Apostar a la Vida and FUNDACION ARGENTINA DE TALASSEMIA), Chile (GIST Alliance), Colombia (Funcancer, Funcolombiana De Leukemia Lymphoma, SANAR, Simmon 5 steps that save lives and the Colombian League for the Fight against Cancer), from Costa Rica (ANASOVI), from Ecuador (Ecuadorian Association to help cancer patients “Esperanza y Vida”), from Guatemala (Asopaleu and National League against Cancer of Guatemala), from Mexico (United States and the Mexican Association for the Fight Against Cancer), Nicaragua (Movement Against Cancer MOVICANCER-NICARAGUA Foundation), Peru (ESPERANTRA Cancer Patient Aid Association), and the Dominican Republic (FAHEM ”Hemophilic Support Foundation) , from Venezuela (Asaphe and the Venezuelan Association for Hemophilia) and from the host, Brazil, were representatives of ABRALE – Associao Brasileira de Linfoma e Leukemia and ABRASTA (Associao Brasileira de Talassemia), Ali anza Gist, Outubro Rosa Florianópolis, Femama Brasil, GBECAM (Brazilian Group of Breast Cancer Studies), Instituto Oncoguia – official and Saúde da Próstata.
