BRAZIL

On December 14, the Senate Social Affairs Committee approved the bill that seeks to establish the National Pediatric Oncology Care Policy. The initiative was previously approved in the Chamber of Deputies, and now it will be voted in the plenary of the Senate, to which it passes with a request of urgency, that is, it is expected to be voted before the closing of the Congress on December 22. You may access the text by clicking here.

 The bill aims to implement the National Policy for Pediatric Oncology Care, with the objective of increasing survival, improving quality of life and reducing mortality and treatment abandonment of children and adolescents (from 0 to 19 years of age) with cancer, through actions aimed at prevention, early detection and treatment of the disease, as well as social assistance and palliative care.

 Likewise, the text considers that the success in the treatment of childhood cancer depends on educational measures for early diagnosis and regulation, aimed at prompt referral to begin treatment in specialized centers, following clinical protocols.

 It should be recalled that the bill arose from a partnership between the Chamber of Deputies and the Parliamentary Front for the Prevention and Fight against Childhood Cancer, the National Confederation of Institutions for the Support and Assistance of Children and Adolescents with Cancer (Coniacc in Portuguese), the Children’s Oncology Institute (ICI in Portuguese), the Ronald McDonalds Institute and the Brazilian Society of Pediatric Oncology (Sobope in Portuguese).