Cancer has overtaken cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death in the Republic of Cyprus for the first time in 30 years, according to findings presented at a public health conference on Tuesday. The Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health (CII), which organised the 12th Pancyprian Public Health Conference, said the shift was “a serious reason to step up cancer prevention among the Cypriot population, starting from childhood”.
The conference heard that Cyprus spends only about 2 per cent of its annual health budget on prevention, compared with an average of about 4 per cent in Europe, and the institute called for greater investment.
Savia Orphanidou, who chairs parliament’s Health Committee, said the committee would examine increasing prevention spending. She also stressed the importance of promoting exercise and healthy eating in schools.
Dr. Pavlos Drakos called for more action on cancer prevention, saying a significant rise in new cancer cases is expected in the coming years. He put particular emphasis on tackling smoking and strictly enforcing the anti-smoking law in places such as schools, parks and sports facilities.
Prevention beyond hospitals
In its statement, the institute said disease prevention and health promotion should be a central priority for the state, built into social welfare, education, environment and climate policy as well as health policy. Prevention should begin in childhood, it said, with schools and nurseries given a substantially bigger role in promoting healthy behaviour.
It said prevention is not confined to hospitals but extends to every municipality and community, as more than 80 per cent of the factors affecting health lie outside the health system. These include lifestyle, socioeconomic profile, environment, diet, physical activity and smoking.
The institute called for population-level observatories for diseases and risk factors, with repeated assessments, to collect reliable data and produce measurable health indicators to guide action to reduce health risks.
It said socioeconomic inequalities are reflected in the population’s health, making policies that guarantee equal access to prevention and health services necessary. Prevention also depends on systematic cooperation between ministries, local government, schools, academia, research bodies and civil society, beyond simply taking part in joint committees, it said.
The discussion centred on fostering a broader culture across society from childhood, and on the need for cooperation between schools, sport, primary care, local government and other bodies.
Speakers
Dr. Nicos Middleton said the concept of prevention needed to be redefined, moving from a purely biomedical model to a more behavioural and social one and using research to select, adapt and evaluate effective interventions. Practices used internationally could be applied in Cyprus, he said, but should be adapted to local conditions.
Dr. Agis Tsouros also called for prevention to be redefined and for modern strategies to tackle chronic disease. He said health is largely shaped by factors outside the traditional health system, placing particular emphasis on the social determinants of health and on inequalities.
Dr. Constantinos Pattichis highlighted the new electronic health record as an important tool for using and linking health data, to improve services and support evidence-based decision-making.
Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides, under whose auspices the conference was held, also addressed it.
(information from CNA)
