PARAGUAY

On September 15, the Deputies’ Health Committee issued a favorable opinion on the draft bill modifying and expanding the scope of the comprehensive care law for people with cancer. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure full compliance with the law and ensure that administrative procedures do not end up undermining the well-being of cancer patients.

The bill proposes giving the National Cancer Institute (INCAN, for its acronym in Spanish) administrative and financial autonomy in order to allow it to provide patients with a quality service and create specialized referral units linked to the national health system at regional level. All the members of the committee were in favor of this point.

During the debate, the deputy chair of the Committee, Roque Sarubbi (ARN – ruling party) emphasized the importance of strengthening healthcare networks, so that the hospitals in the principal towns of the departments throughout the country can offer oncological services.