Cancer patients achieve more budget for the purchase of drugs

The Chamber of Deputies approved yesterday the request for a budget increase for the National Cancer Institute (Incan). The oncology service of the Regional Hospital of Ciudad del Este depends on this institution for the purchase of supplies and medicines.

The project already had half a sanction in the Senate and the deputies did not discuss it last week due to lack of a quorum, a fact that generated the reaction and manifestation of patients at the country level. The Association of Relatives of Patients with Cancer of Alto Paraná mobilized here. The head of this organization, Professor Leonarda Arévalos, had regretted the delay, which was finally settled on Wednesday.

This is a budget increase of G. 96,000 million for Incan, seeking to replace what was taken from the current General Budget of the Nation. In Deputies they indicated that they understand that the stress of not getting medicines aggravates the situation of patients, but they assure that it was an error of the Executive Power and the Ministry of Health for not having established priorities in the General Budget of the Nation, as well as of the administrators of the Incan.

They assure that it should never happen again. “If there is something that we have to ensure in the budget, it is what is related to people who suffer from catastrophic diseases such as cancer and hopefully the next government will take the sick as an absolute priority. I know that there are many needs and the Government has to manage the scarce resources, but those who suffer from cancer never have to go through this need again. Even humiliation happens,” said Deputy Edgar Acosta.