The Commission has published today a study mapping policies and good practices in the EU and EEA/EFTA that help cancer patients and those with a history of cancer to stay in and return to work. The study is one of the main outcomes of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, which aims to support cancer patients and survivors to stay in and return to work.
The study presents several recommendations to address remaining gaps, barriers and challenges, such as the need to broaden and strengthen national policies and rules to include more cancer-specific measures, to strengthen monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and to further increase awareness-raising. Key findings include the current lack of national legislative frameworks dedicated to job retention and/or reintegration, specifically for cancer patients and survivors in many countries. However, the study also found that many organisations have support measures in place and some countries have more general policies in place to support people with chronic diseases or disabilities. The report's findings follow a broad stakeholder consultation. It includes factsheets on the situation in each country and on the good practices identified.
Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: "This study highlights the need to improve the quality of life of people whose lives have been affected by cancer, one of the key areas of action in Europe's Beating Cancer Plan. It shows that, although we have made significant progress in cancer survival rates, many challenges remain in managing daily life with cancer. We need to break the stigma that can affect people affected by this disease and protect the right to return to work, to keep their jobs and to ensure that there is no discrimination. This is the start of the discussion: we will now analyse the results and encourage stakeholders to engage in discussions on how to turn today's challenges into tomorrow's opportunities."
(For more information: Stefan De Keersmaecker – Tel.: +32 2 298 46 80; Anna Gray – Tel.: +32 2 298 08 73)
Details
- Publication date
- 21 October 2024
- Author
- Representation in Cyprus