IP promotes lower prices in treatments for breast cancer

The Business Coordinating Council (CCE) together with 44 social organizations from the Mexican Coalition for Breast Health (Comesama), and the Alliance of Private Health Service Providers (APPSS) joined forces in the fight against breast cancer, thus that managed to reduce up to 90% the cost of preventive treatments for women.

For the first time in Mexico, social organizations join the private and public sectors in a comprehensive care campaign against breast cancer, which includes both detection and support for patients in their treatment, in addition to psychological support, reported the CCE.

“Digital mammograms will be offered, which could include, where necessary, an ultrasound or a biopsy. The scope of this campaign is projected for the 32 entities of the Mexican Republic and will last from October to December 2022”, they added.

Patrick Devlyn, president of the CCE Health Commission, lamented that in Mexico “very little is invested in health, we need to turn to see health, and turn to see it seriously, why, because in the end without health you do not have nothing, it is a fundamental foundation so that as a society and as people, we can train ourselves, educate ourselves, and progress”.

After announcing the #DetectionMoreAction campaign, which seeks to promote access to clinical studies for the timely detection of breast cancer in women in the highest risk age group (40 years or older), they mentioned that cases will be followed up suspects and diagnostic confirmation to reference hospitals, seeking to reduce the mortality rate due to this cause.

Devlyn added that companies that manufacture mammography technology, several hospitals, and diagnostic and imaging clinics have joined, and with this “we are starting, with those 44 centers in three states of the country, and we are going to look for to be present in all states, for the benefit of the health of all our women”. She specified that doing a breast exam and/or study costs 3,200 pesos, with the program it costs around 300 pesos, so it is a reduction of almost 90%, but this “is not a subsidy, not that someone is giving things away, it is the reflection of a collaboration between all the links that make this happen, and it is an example of how if we can do things, if we can work together to achieve better results in this case in health, and in this specific case for the health of many women”, he commented.

Currently, an average of 7 to 14 months elapse between the diagnosis of the disease and the start of treatment, so this campaign seeks to shorten the waiting time to a maximum of two months. For this, it has the support of public sector organizations, such as the National Institute of Cancerology, the General Hospital of Mexico.

lilia.gonzalez@eleconomista.mx