2024-02-29 08:19:29
“Having health, I don’t complain.” But what if I don’t have it? Serious illnesses are the great moment of truth for people, the one that leads us to see what is important in life, at what pace to live it and who deserves our time and our affection in it. Our relationship with work and the company in which we work also changes. The most aggressive pathologies such as cancer devastate our physical, mental, financial and social health, and that is where we want to see the employee experience have a “personalized” response. The second study «Cancer in the company»from Cigna Healthcare and MD Anderson Center, collects data on incidence, mortality, survival and prevalence of cancer in Spain, as well as a practical protocol for action.
According to the latest data from the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), the incidence of cancer in our country mainly affects the active population: every year 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in Spain and of them, More than 35% of cases occur between 15 and 64 years of age, 81% of them being between 50 and 64 years old.
Numerous investigations support the effectiveness of early detection to reduce mortality figures and, in this sense, the study states that “scientific evidence maintains that at least 40% of all cancer cases might be avoided with effective primary prevention measures.” and early tumor detection. A responsibility shared by the public health system, the private system and companies. “This context places HR and Occupational Health and Safety departments as key agents to promote a corporate culture that understands and proactively responds to these challenges, promoting policies and support programs for employees with this disease,” the report advances.
How to address cancer management as a corporate policy?
«Starting from the psychological, social and work challenges that the employee with cancer must face, the training will present a series of indications to support him throughout the entire oncological process, addressing four key moments – prevention, diagnosis, treatment and reintegration work- in which it will be essential to consider the patient’s needs:
Source: «Cancer in the company». Cigna Healthcare and MD Anderson Center, 2024.
It is important to take into account the regulatory framework that currently covers long-term sick leave. In relation to this, the guide explains what to do in different cases:
If the employee wants to continue working, “the ideal is to help them harmonize treatment with work, providing them with options such as reduced hours, teleworking or any other adjustment that allows them to continue with their work activity in the simplest and most efficient way. And, of course, respect your right to be absent from your workplace to go to the doctor and undergo the respective medical tests. Any decision to terminate employment by the company for reasons related to the employee’s illness would mean incurring discrimination based on illness and the dismissal would be null and void.
If the worker’s state of health does not allow him to continue with his work obligations, “the doctor will prescribe a certificate of temporary disability, which gives him the right to take a 12-month sick leave, with a further 6 month extension, the time being maximum that can be taken legally. Patients will be discharged in case of cure, but also when the deadline has expired.
maximum of the sick leave (365 days + extensions), whether or not they have completed the treatment. From that moment on, the employee has two legal options: request a leave of absence or, if he or she has been on leave for more than 18 months, request permanent disability, which will be decided by the National Social Security Institute.
Types of cancer with the highest prevalence: risk factors, prevention and treatment
The report includes a list of the most frequently diagnosed types of cancer in Spain and their projection for 2024, echoing data provided by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM):
- Colon and rectum (44,294 new cases).
- Mama (36.395).
- Lung (32,768).
- Prostate (30,316).
- Urinary bladder (22,097).
At a long distance, non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (10,706), pancreatic cancer (9,986), kidney (9,208), oral cavity and pharynx (7,603), cervix (7,305), stomach (6,868) and liver (6,856) will be detected.
For all of them, a list of prevention activities at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, risk factors (modifiable or not), possible routes of diagnosis and treatment, and a health plan are included.
Photo by Olga Kononenko on Unsplash.
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