The Minister of Health, Mónica García, has discussed with the President of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), Ramón Reyes, the need to prioritise the fight against this disease due to its impact, both in the health sector and in the social and mental health aspects of patients and their families.

Health and the Spanish Association Against Cancer

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Both have agreed to work together to implement effective actions to improve prevention, detection, treatment and quality of life for people affected by this disease, because one in two men and one in three women will develop cancer during their lives.

One of the aspects that was the focus of the meeting, and which is fundamental to curbing the incidence of cancer in our country, is the fight against tobacco.

Both the minister and the president of the AECC believe that we must achieve the first generation of young Spaniards free of tobacco by 2030.

To achieve this, the AECC has asked the minister to promote measures to make it more difficult for young people to access tobacco, as well as to make progress in the regulation of vapers, so that they are assimilated into current legislation and have the same control mechanisms as other tobacco products.

Mónica García explained that these measures, such as the regulation of single packaging or the extension of smoke-free areas, will be included in the future National Plan for the Prevention and Control of Smoking.

Also on the table was the need to guarantee equity in coverage and participation in early detection programmes, to achieve the 70% survival target by 2030, as well as the importance of psychological treatment for patients and their families, requesting the inclusion of psycho-oncological care in the portfolio of the National Health System, within the State Pact for Mental Health.