Cancer patients must face the inevitable physical and psychological impact caused by the disease. To this must be added, often, an unacceptable loss of their rights as citizens.
According to the report Youth and Leukemia: Beyond Surviving, from the Josep Carreras Foundation, up to 80% of people between 18 and 35 years old who have suffered blood cancer encounter obstacles in taking out insurance or a banking product. Discrimination also affects the workplace. In a report from the RTVE weekly report program, prepared by Carmen González Rojas and Susana Jiménez Pons, cases of people who have had difficulties returning to work are discussed. González Rojas collects significant data from cancer associations: up to 20% of employed patients are fired or their contracts are not renewed. 30% return to work with conditions different from those before the diagnosis. And 14% need an adaptation to their position when they return to work.
In February 2022, the European Parliament approved a resolution that imposed a limit of 2025 to establish, in member countries, “oncological oblivion”, which allows, after a reasonable time, medical records to be inaccessible to third parties. Today most countries have legislation on this matter. In Spain, the extension of a royal decree-law that addressed this issue was approved in June 2023. This right establishes that any clause, stipulation, condition or agreement that excludes those who have suffered from cancer will be void. It also prohibits making differentiations in contracting insurance based on having suffered an oncological pathology. And it is not considered mandatory to declare, when taking out life insurance, that you have had the disease. Medical history may not be taken into account either.
The right applies after five years of completion of “radical treatment” without subsequent relapse. From the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), Dr. César A. Rodríguez considers the deadline appropriate, but points out that “it is necessary, however, to develop the regulations in a way that eliminates uncertainties in the use of some terms such as radical treatment.” or establish the moment from which the five-year period must be counted.
Without a doubt, we are facing progress, which must continue to delve deeper into labor aspects and establish the appropriate framework – some associations propose fiscal incentives for companies to facilitate the return to work – to make equality truly effective.