On World Health Day (7th April), we are raising awareness of the health inequalities faced by brain tumour patients.
Established by the World Health Organization, the theme of this year’s World Health Day was chosen to “champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to quality health services, education and information”.
Among the health inequalities faced by brain tumour patients is access to clinical trials. At the launch event on Tuesday 19th March for our new manifesto, It is time to do things differently, Consultant Neurosurgeon Babar Vaqas explained how patients, families and clinicians are often left in the dark about trial options.
Mr Vaqas (pictured above) highlighted the need for easy and timely access to information about trials and patient suitability, as well as equity of participation for ethnic minorities and for trial investigators to demonstrate social responsibility. He added: “Trial participation needs to be widened to allow equity of access by everyone with a brain tumour. Patients shouldn't have to travel long distances to large centres. Trials need to move from large centres and into the local clinical settings within which the disease actually occurs and care is delivered.”
Hugh Adams, our Head of Stakeholder Relations, said: “We’re grateful to Babar for sharing his first-hand experience with key political stakeholders who attended our manifesto launch event, including Health Minister, Andrew Stephenson. Brain tumour patients experience a low level of recruitment onto clinical trials and our manifesto calls for increased participation of adult and paediatric brain tumour patients in clinical trials as one of six key commitments from the Government. Brain tumour patients must have the same access to trials as patients with other types of cancer and we will campaign to change this and challenge any other inequalities faced by our community.”
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