Celebrating the launch of World Cancer Day’s new campaign: Close the Care Gap

Officially launching tomorrow, Thursday 11 November, the next 3-year World Cancer Day (WCD) global campaign (2022-2024) is themed Close the Care Gap. Building on the tremendous successes of the previous edition, I Am and I Will, this new international program devised by the founding and organizational body of WCD, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), will illuminate the major issue of inequities in cancer care around the world.

Set to tackle the many unacceptable barriers that many people have to confront in accessing optimal cancer care including income, education, geographical location and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, and age –to name just a few- the aim of this new campaign is to close the care gap that currently costs lives across borders.

“Thanks to the extraordinary advances driven by research of excellence and empowered by stunning technologies coupled with the cutting edge radiology and surgical approaches, never before have we been better equipped to more rapidly diagnose and effectively treat this devastating disease. We are also gaining pace against cancer through determined efforts aimed at cancer prevention,” observed VHIO’s Director, Josep Tabernero.

He continued, “Despite such progress, the existing gap in access to optimal cancer treatment and care is a brutal reality in many countries and one that costs the lives of many patients. And, one life lost due to inequities in cancer care is frankly, one too many.”

To celebrate the kick-off of #CloseTheCareGap, the UICC team will host two live Facebook sessions tomorrow Thursday 11 November, at 09:00h and 18:00h Central European Time, to reveal what’s being organized for World Cancer Day 2022, 04 February, and inspire us all to get involved and start planning ahead of the big day.

To join tomorrow’s live Facebook sessions please click here: @worldcancerday.

On behalf of the UICC, and as a devoted supporter of World Cancer Day and member of its Advisory Group, we at VHIO also encourage you to watch the UICC on air pre-recorded video that celebrates the launch of this new campaign.

To access the video and listen the conversation led by HRH Princess Dina Mired, Immediate Past President of UICC, with Paul Farmer, Co-Founder and Chief Strategist of Partners in Health and Philippa Kibugu-Decuir, Founder and Director of the Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa (BCIEA) please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfpv-s5mPws.

For more information about the #CloseTheCareGap World Cancer Day campaign and how you too can lend your support visit: https://www.worldcancerday.org/.