At cancer congress, experts say health is ignored by presidential candidates

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A Datafolha survey released in March this year showed that health-related issues lead Brazilians’ concerns, being mentioned by 22% of respondents. Despite this, the topic is treated superficially by candidates both in presidential debates and in government programs.

That’s what the experts who participated in the opening table of the 9th edition of the All Together Against Cancer Congress, held this Tuesday morning (27), in São Paulo, say.

The event takes place until Thursday (29) and brings together specialists from different areas of health, references in national and international oncology. The congress is organized by the Todos Juntos Contra o Câncer (All Together Against Cancer Movement), an entity that brings together more than 200 civil society organizations committed to the care of cancer patients.

“If health is a priority for voters, this issue should be discussed as a priority by candidates”, says Daniel Hissa, a partner in public policy consultancy Patri and one of the participants in the first round.

According to him, health is neglected in the discussions because it is a topic with low potential for engagement.

According to Hissa, issues such as the role of the state in the economy tend to be more explored by candidates because they generate disagreements and heated debates, which increase voter involvement.

On the other hand, health does not usually encourage major disagreements. This is because, says Hissa, most candidates are not in favor of the privatization of health care or against the universalization of the health system.

“Without opposing ideas, they are not refined by politicians. Many proposals have more of an aspirational tone than a government plan profile.”

André Medici, a senior health economist at the World Bank, makes a similar diagnosis. He points out that the government plans of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Jair Bolsonaro (PL) do not speak clearly about increasing health financing. According to the specialist, the values ​​destined for the sector leave something to be desired.

“Public funding is 3.8% of GDP. This is very low,” he says, adding that public spending in the countries that make up the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) is around 6% of GDP. .

The entity brings together more than 30 countries, such as France, Germany and the United States. “Public spending on health in Brazil is lower than in the United States, which is a country that lives the hegemony of private care.”

In the case of cancer, public policies for the disease are underfunded, says Medici. “It is necessary to cover candidates on this, because cancer is the second leading cause of death in Brazil. With the aging of people, it is possible that it will become the first.”

Sanitary doctor Gonzalo Vecina Neto says that poverty, a problem that has increased in the country, imposes even more challenges on health. “Social determinants kill more than the lack of medicine,” he says, referring to the conditions in which a person lives and works.

“It is serious not to make the diagnosis because the patient died before having access to the exams because of poverty. We need to improve the living conditions of Brazilians. Without this, we will not improve health.”

Coordinator of PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), Elisa Prieto says that cancer usually kills more vulnerable populations. Cervical cancer is an example of this.

The disease, says Prieto, affects women democratically, but mortality is usually more frequent among poorer patients.

“Disadvantaged groups are more likely to not receive adequate treatment.”

One of the ways to circumvent this problem is to disseminate information on how to prevent the disease. This is what Catherine Moura, CEO of Abrale (Brazilian Association of Lymphoma and Leukemia) proposes. In addition, she says it is important to increase the country’s cancer care network, both in the public and private network.

“Care for cancer needs to be a public and social agenda. It is a problem and a responsibility of all of us”, he says.

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