World Cancer Leaders' Summit Ends in Kazakhstan with Strong Call for Universal Health Coverage

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan, Oct. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2019 World Cancer Leaders' Summit ended in Kazakhstan with a strong call to action with the CEO of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) Dr. Cary Adams urging the global health leaders to drive action so that Universal Health Coverage is achieved in every country.

"We need to see governments fulfilling the commitments they have already made by adopting the Political Declaration on UHC in New York on 23 September," said Cary Adams. "We need strong health systems that can deliver the services that people need and we need investments by all stakeholders. I wholeheartedly believe, that we, the cancer community, have the expertise, passion and commitment needed to make UHC a reality and ensure that every country steps up to ensure that no cancer patient is left behind."

Organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and hosted by the Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Radiology (KazIOR), the World Cancer Leaders Summit brought together 350 global health leaders from 82 countries to discuss the progress made on UHC and the main challenges faced by countries when including cancer services in their UHC plans.

"Governments around the world have recognised how important it is to deliver UHC, including accelerating efforts to tackle cancer. But while the recent adoption of the Political Declaration on UHC in New York was a very important step, it is only the beginning of a much longer journey. In many countries people have lost trust in their health systems. Regaining their trust, and investing better and smarter is key to making progress,'' said H.R.H Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, President of UICC.

Participants included Ministers of Health, First Ladies, city and industry leaders, senior executives and other influential players from the cancer, health and development community. In workshops and panel discussions they exchanged views on how all sectors can work in partnerships to design and deliver UHC.

Showing the evidence and data supporting the call for action on cancer in UHC, the all-new 3rd edition of the Cancer Atlas by the American Cancer Society, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and UICC was launched at the 2019 WCLS. The Atlas offers a comprehensive global overview of cancer around the globe, and concludes that progress in the fight against cancer is not only possible, but achievable. Under the theme "Access Creates Progress," this current edition draws attention to the means of tackling the cancer burden through access to information and services. The Cancer Atlas will, once again, be circulated widely with the aim to inspire all those who want to see improvements in cancer control.

The World Cancer Leaders' Summit – The World Cancer Leaders' Summit (WCLS) is a major annual high-level policy meeting dedicated exclusively to furthering global cancer control. The event brings together key decision makers from around the world and encourages timely debate on emerging issues related to cancer.

The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is the largest and oldest international cancer-fighting organization. Founded in Geneva in 1933, UICC has over 1,150 member organizations in 173 countries. It enjoys consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and has official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). UICC has over 50 partners, including associations, companies and foundations committed to the fight against cancer. 

Media contact:
Harry Nanda
+1-416-732-5867
www.uicc.org

SOURCE Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)

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