There is absolutely a need for a regular debate on cancer and the services available for it, President George Vella said today.

Speaking during the National Cancer Platform’s conference titled ‘Cancer: Know The Facts’, Vella said that there has been a major leap in services available for cancer patients and their families from the time he was working as a medical practitioner himself.

“The word inoperable used to be so common due to lack of equipment and treatments at the time. I believe that these things need to be taken into consideration so we can appreciate the advancements we have experienced. However, we also have to consider where we need to get to.”

He said that when it comes to cancer, despite this increase in services and treatments, there is still little to no information about where it actually starts from and the number of cases is on the rise.

“We have a lot of propaganda on how to prepare for it but we don’t know exactly what to prepare for,” he explained.

“There needs to be a continuous discussion about this so I thank everyone involved for providing this platform. One has to speak of the range of services both specific and general, I think that together we have the power to organise seminars and activities that show what truly needs to be done.”

Vella also touched on the topic of medical expenses, saying that there needs to be combined action by small countries regarding the prices of medicines.

“We conducted a study on how much medicine – of the same brands and ingredients – costs across Europe. We found that in Italy, France and Belgium there is up to 25% difference in price. This is a reflection of the scheme that most pharmaceutical companies adapt wherein they favour the interest of shareholders over the interest of patients.”

He believes that there needs to be reassurance for the poor to have access to these medicines and while the Community Chest Fund has helped a number of patients in this regard, there has been a drastic increase in the need for funds.

Education on consumption, symptoms and treatments is another important factor Vella highlighted and the National Cancer Platform plays a crucial role in this regard.

He concluded by saying that it is everyone’s duty to see that these things come true as “we are not doing this for us but those patients who are close to us, and even those who aren’t as we are all Maltese citizens.”

Prof Ray Galea, Chairman of the National Cancer Platform, said the “aim for this morning’s session is to see what is available and what is lacking and see how we can fill in the gap.”

The National Cancer Platform was created on 3 February and it is an amalgamation of all Maltese NGOs working in the field of cancer. While allowing each entity involved to keep its autonomy, this platform facilitates the exchange of information across the organisations involved which gives their members a better understanding of all the services available nowadays.