Childhood cancer comprises different types of tumors or diseases characterized by the abnormal development of cells that grow and spread without control.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) maintains that this is one of the main causes of mortality among children and adolescents throughout the world; Each year, approximately 280,000 children between the ages of 0 and 19 are diagnosed.
In Latin America, it is estimated that at least 29,000 children and adolescents in this age range are affected by cancer annually and, of these, close to 10,000 minors will die.
Timely detection and early attention increase the chances of recovery.
For this reason, since September 2020, the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) is implementing a comprehensive care policy that increases the survival of these minors with cancer through the following strategies:
ONCOCREAN. 35 State Reference Centers for the Care of Children with Cancer have been created in order to standardize clinical practices and the quality of care in hospitals that care for pediatric oncology patients.
Oncology Patient Platform to have a census of patients and monitor the timely granting of chemotherapy treatments.
In turn, we listen and attend to the voices of mothers, fathers and guardians. Since September 2020, a weekly space has been opened for dialogue between IMSS authorities and mothers and fathers of pediatric oncology patients.
83 sessions have been held in which process improvement and strategy results are presented, and 180 specific cases have been resolved.
My Chat OncoIMSS is a digital tool that works through WhatsApp, in which requests for supply of medicines, medical care, license 140 Bis (for maternal and paternal care) and Blood Bank are received. To date, 842 cases have been resolved in this way.
Email: [email protected], through which 238 cases have been resolved.
We are aware of the challenge involved in strengthening care for children and adolescents with cancer.
Our model goes beyond just having medicines in a timely manner, it is to achieve care with quality and warmth.
For this reason, at the Mexican Institute of Social Security we continue and will continue to work to improve and strengthen this care policy and thus achieve the important goal of improving the survival of all our pediatric oncology patients.
BY MARCELA VELÁZQUEZ BOLIO
HEAD OF THE OPERATION COORDINATION WITH CIVIL SOCIETY AT IMSS
PAL