STAKEHOLDER FORUM
An extraordinary meeting of leading professionals in health policy making, healthcare provision, research, development and education in oncology as well as patients’ organizations took place at the MoH SR on 15 December. The Stakeholder Forum within the European CraNE-JA project focused on the integration of clinical care, research, innovation and education in the comprehensive cancer center network in Europe. It also mapped out the current situation and the challenges for Slovakia in order to build a national comprehensive cancer center in Slovakia to improve care, simplify the introduction of quality diagnostic and treatment, including expert training, research, clinical trials and education on all levels.
The National Oncology Institute (NOI) within the National Cancer Institute (NCI) actively participates in the European CraNE-JA project whose main objective is to create a European network of existing and new comprehensive cancer centers, support the implementation of early detection, screening, diagnostic, treatment, survivorship care, research and training for employees in oncology while ensuring and monitoring adequate quality.
Based on the Slovak National Oncology Program’s Action Plan 3, it is necessary to finish the National Comprehensive Cancer Center at the National Cancer Institute in Bratislava and follow-up comprehensive care in cancer institutes (St. Elizabeth Cancer Institute in Bratislava, East Slovakia Oncology Institute in Košice) and a comprehensive cancer center network in order to improve access to adequate and innovative diagnostic and treatment of oncological diseases for all patients in Slovakia. Pediatric oncology must be developed in the National Institute of Children’s Diseases with a follow-up to NCI comprehensive cancer center.
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Project CraNE Joint Action
The newest European project in the field of cancerNational Cancer Institute and National Oncology Institute are part of the prestigious European project CraNE Joint Action – JA (complete project name: Network of Comprehensive Cancer Centres-Preparatory activities on creation of National Comprehensive Cancer Centres and EU Networking). This project responds to Flagship Number 5 of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, which defines that the European Commission will establish by 2025, an EU Network linking recognized National Comprehensive Cancer Centres (CCCs) in every Member State. The Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan aims to ensure that 90% of eligible patients have access to such centres by 2030.
The main aim of the CraNE JA is to create an EU network of the already existing and newly established CCCs, to support the implementation of quality-assured early detection, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support to cancer survivors, research and training of the cancer workforce. CraNE JA is preparing the necessary preconditions, administrative, professional, and those related to high-quality performance.
The specific objectives of CraNE JA are:
- To endorse the sustainability of the outputs of the CraNE JA towards future implementation into cancer care structures in the EU member states
- To create an EU Network of national CCCs to improve cancer care and avoid the unacceptable disparities currently present across the EU
- To further develop the access and availability of the comprehensive high quality of care in national and regional Comprehensive Cancer Care Networks (CCCNs) to all European member states and align the high standards in cancer care for all quality assured institutions with a focus on the interfaces between care and research (CCCN and CCC)
- To develop a consensus model for CCCs, both standalone centres as well as centres, which are part of universities or general hospitals
- To identify and analyze the current practices and models of organisation in real-life settings as key references to assess how high-quality care and research are available to all cancer patients in a given regional and local levels through networking models.
The kick-off meeting of CraNE JA was held on November 3, 2022 at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia in Brussels. The project officially started on October 1, 2022. CraNE JA brings together 25 Competent Authorities and 21 Affiliated Entities from 25 different countries, marking 46 partners in total. CraNE JA partners are uniquely placed to implement the network of CCCs in Europe. The target group of CraNE JA are the main actors who will be concerned in the future development of the network of CCCs: representatives of member states, networks of CCCs, European organizations, and experts. Patient advocates and representatives are included in the work of work packages and represented in the Stakeholder Forum.
The CraNE JA project, which will last two years received funding from the European Union through the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) within the framework of the EU Health Program (EU4Health) 2021-2027.
Project CraNE Joint Action More information