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Miryana P
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IASLC Pre-Conference Advocacy Group Meeting (ID 2)
- Event: LALCA 2019
- Type: Invited Speaker Session
- Track:
- Presentations: 1
- Moderators:
- Coordinates: 10/17/2019, 09:00 - 15:30, Castillo A 3-4
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PC2.08 - Access to Care Latin America: The Big Challenge. (ID 23)
09:00 - 15:30 | Author(s): Miryana P
- Abstract
Lung cancer represents a burden to patients, families and governments around the world. In low income countries, it is a public health issue that needs public health policies to acknowledge and create quality access. In México, due to the complexity of the health system care access is linked to employment condition. Seguro Popular, a public health policy created in 2000 to give health coverage to informally employed patients includes in its Catastrophic Expense Catalogue only 7 types of cancer in adults excluding lung cancer. Other public health policies have limited access to quality and innovative treatments for many illnesses including lung cancer, besides, lung cancer patients are stigmatized and usually blamed for having brought the illness on themselves. Lung cancer in Mexico and other Latin American countries correlates to poverty, low educational and cultural level and the lack of public policies to create successful prevention and early detection programs. The importance of patient organizations is crucial in the construction of such policies.
FRA adapted a navigation model to meet the needs of cancer patients in Mexico based on the acknowledgement that every patient diagnosed with cancer has to deal with the same variables: loosing health, loosing their job, migration, to receive treatment, restructuration of the family system. Through a navigation model that systematically accompanies the patient and caregiver directly in the oncology medical center to process their clinical file, Schedule their treatment visits, understand the treatment scheme, supply them with information on how to navigate the health system and to get to know the support organizations available, empowers the patient and caregiver to comprehend the importance to complete treatment. Networking with other cancer organizations broadens the range of support to patients. Educational and information support groups are held periodically, monthly or every two weeks in different hospitals in order for patients and families to share their experiences dealing with cancer.
Patient navigation benefits cancer patients and their caregivers and families, it empowers and educates patients to better cope with the disease. Patient navigation accompanies the patient in their journey to complete treatment and in other cases to a better quality of life during the illness. Medical centers in Mexico do not consider patient navigation as an organic need to improve the service they offer to patients it is mostly done by organizations. Through patient navigation the organization gets to know and share the patientŽs journey, the obstacles and barriers in the way to completing treatment, it is also a source of data that can help build better health care and access plans for the medical center but also for public policies.
Patient advocacy is core for any public policy Patient Navigation could be an important source of information to build it. Patient navigation should be organic to the health system in every country, foremost in low income countries. Lung cancer patients in Mexico are a particularly vulnerable group, patient navigation should be part of a public policy tending to improve their quality of life. Access is much more than been treated, it means been diagnosed at an early stage, been able to understand this diagnosis, been accompanied by someone who knows the system, been able to take informed decisions over the best treatment available and having a patient centered health system.
