The document discusses a cancer patient rights advocacy program in Greece. It outlines several issues faced by cancer patients in Greece, including long wait times, lack of information about treatment options and hospitals, and lack of legislation protecting patients. The advocacy group's mission is to raise awareness of patient rights, intervene to enforce rights, empower patients, and advocate for patient involvement in healthcare policy. The group plans future activities like surveying patient understanding of rights, advocating for patient issues, and starting a helpline to provide rights and healthcare information.

1. Patient Rights in Greece Cancer Patient Rights Advocacy Program Society of Volunteers Against Cancer Agalia ZO Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

2. Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

3. Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

4. Code Articles corresponding to Patient Rights -Art. 47-L. 2071/1992 Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

5. Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

6. Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

7. Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

8. Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

9. Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

10. Difficulty to get 2 nd opinion Very long waiting times for medical appointments & operations Lack of complete & accurate information about their condition Concentration of oncology hospitals in big cities Dilemma about how to select the best hospital or diagnostic center as their performance is not rated Lack of readily available information about specialized oncology hospitals and clinics, about doctors’ registries, social insurance coverage of healthcare expenses, etc. Scarcity of radiotherapy clinics resulting in long waiting lists pushing patients to private ones Lack of legislation protecting patients from malpractice Patients are not formally involved in health policy formulation Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

12. Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009 QUESTIONS Health law on Patient Rights Patient organisations involved in decision making No fault malpractice insurance Right to second opinion Access to own medical record Register of legitimate doctors Web or 24/7telephone healthcare information Cross-border care seeking Provider catalogue with quality ranking Health on Patient Rights Rating = Good = Not so good = Good = Not so good = Not so good = Not so good = Not so good = Not so good = Not so good

13. Our Vision for all cancer patients to receive state of the art medical treatment and sound health care services to be treated with respect of their personality, to be treated with respect and enforcement of the legally established patient rights to be actively involved in the decision making process concerning their life, their health, their treatment & their healthcare to participate at national & European level in the formulation of health policies Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

14. Our Mission To raise awareness about the civil rights recognized by the Constitution and Greek legislation for citizens as users of healthcare services To intervene to healthcare stakeholders for the enforcement of cancer patient rights To empower cancer patients for the individual advocacy of their rights To advocate for cancer patients involvement in healthcare policy formulation & the improvement of healthcare services Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

15. Advocacy Activities in 2008-2009 Εxtension of the administration & social insurance coverage of the vaccine against cervical cancer to women of the age group 16-25 Participation in the launching of the European Action against Cancer Participation in the ECPC campaign to raise awareness about cancer among candidate and new MEPs & request their participation in MAC Participation in the celebration of the European Patient Rights Day Participation in the consultation of DGSANCO on the priorities of the Annual Action Plan 2009 of the Health Program 2008-2013 Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

16. Advocacy Activities in 2008-2009 Launching of a dedicated website www.patientrights.gr Publication of the Program brochures National distribution of the Program brochure on the occasion of the European Patient Rights Day Participation in the celebration of the European Patient Rights Day Translation, publication & distribution of the Greek version of the European Charter of Patient Rights Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

17. Our Plans for 2010 Conduct a survey about the understanding & practice of patient rights in Greece Advocate with cause to pertinent stakeholders about small & big issues cancer patients are faced with Actively pursue cancer patient participation in healthcare policy decisions Organise awareness & information campaigns about cancer patient rights & their enforcement Follow closely healthcare & cancer developments at EU level affecting national healthcare policies Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

18. Our Plans for 2010 Start-up of a patient rights helpline offering patient rights & healthcare benefits information to cancer patients & their carers Complete the construction of our dedicated bilingual website www.patientrights.gr Offer patient rights empowerment & advocacy assistance to cancer patients Network with national and European organisations with similar objectives for the exchange of best practices Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009

19. Thank you for listening Your questions are most welcome Kathi Apostolidis ECPC Masterclass-Munich-October 2009 Nothing for us, without us