CHILE

The Chilean Senate Health Committee approved the draft of the Cancer Bill (Exp. 12292) which establishes a regulatory framework for the development of policies, plans and programs related to cancer, addressing all the stages of disease management.  Adopted on June 12, the initiative now passes to the Finance Committee for approval in the next few weeks.

The measure approved by the Health Committee draws up a national cancer prevention program, a proposal that met with no resistance from the opposition which signalled during the debate that they “approved the project, as long as the Ministry of Health promised to guarantee real funding for the law.”

The Finance Committee will tackle the issue of financing during its debate on the draft, although the new Minister of Health, Jaime Mañalich, has publicly affirmed that “financing is assured.”