Family Medicine & Medical Science Research
Open Access

Abstract

A Civic Audit to Monitor Oncological Facilities across Italy: an Advocacy Tool in Line with the New Ambitious EU4Health Programme

Mariano Votta*, Valeria Fava and Maira Cardillo

Across the world, oncological and chronic patients, including people affected by Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) have been left almost alone for a while now, and at the end of the emergency, we will count not only the deaths due to Covid-19, but also the number of people who died because they did not have a chance access the care that they needed. For instance, just talking about cancer, on the occasion of Cancer Patients' Day (May 17, 2020) some data were presented in Italy, showing how new cancer diagnoses have decreased by 52%, surgeries have been delayed in 64% of cases, and medical examinations in hospitals have decreased by 57%. EU4Health is not only the EU’s response to COVID-19, which has had a huge impact on medical and healthcare staff, patients, and health systems in Europe. The EU4Health programme will also focus mainly on urgent health priorities such as the fight against cancer, promoting its prevention and control across all EU Member States. In Italy, the oncology field appears to be among those in which Cittadinanzattiva collects each year the highest number of reports and requests of support. In the past years, Cittadinanzattiva has promoted civic monitoring of oncological structures and facilities across the country, with the objective to detect, from the citizen’s perspective, the strengths and weaknesses of these facilities and provide for an effective solution to improve their functioning. The experience described below points out the strengths and the weak areas that require improvement in oncological facilities and helps the citizen learn about the available services with the purpose of choosing where to seek care for him/herself.

Published Date: 2021-03-16; Received Date: 2020-12-23