ROMA (ITALPRESS) – Consolidate senological prevention activities and inaugurate a lasting synergy between the Regional Health Service and the associative world. With this aim was held yesterday, at the headquarters of the Lazio Region, a meeting that saw the participation of Andrea Urbani, Director of the Regional Direction Health and Integration Sociosanitaria, Andrea Siddu, Head of the Promotion Area of Health and Prevention, and the Councillor for Culture and Equal Opportunities Simona Renata Baldassarre, together with the national leadership and the secular delegation of Europa Donna Italia.
At the heart of the debate, the in-depth analysis of participation in screening programmes in the Lazio region. The data of the last Regional Report on Oncologic Screening (referred to 2024) show that in the face of 438,267 invited women, the share of those who responded actively to the call was 43.1%. This is an unsatisfactory percentage, since prevention is the only tool to identify a breast cancer that, if diagnosed in the initial stage, guarantees survival indices that exceed 90%. Hence the need to intervene urgently to stimulate a more widespread and conscious response from the female population.
During the meeting, the representatives of Europa Donna Italia gave the institutions the new Regional Brief Policy dedicated to Lazio “Women and Health – Adhesion and extension to mammographic screening: opportunity to grasp, challenges to face together”. The study proposes an action strategy for relaunching screening structured on multiple levels and supported by targeted information campaigns for women who do not respond to the invitations of their ASL. Campaigns that will leverage local volunteering and stable alliances with doctors of general medicine, pharmacies and municipalities (ANCI) with a roadmap to make effective the extension of free controls to age groups 45-49 and 70-74 years.
“We recognize the social value and capillaryity of the network of Europa Donna in Lazio ”, commented Andrea Urbani. “We highly value the proposed plan: the collaboration with the Third Sector is a key to intercepting the needs of citizens and promoting prevention close to people together. Our common goal is to optimize diagnostic services and make sure that no woman neglects these life saving appointments.”.
Andrea Siddu, Director of the Health and Prevention Promotion Area, added that “The constant monitoring of the paths and the appropriateness of the performance are fundamental pillars of our programming. The realities of breast volunteering represent an irreplaceable scientific and human ally to improve recall rates, optimize management times and win the challenge of trust in public structures, especially in areas where the response of citizens is still below optimal standards.”.
“This comparison is a fundamental stage to make breast screening a fully accessible right for women in the area – said Rosanna D’Antona, President of Europa Donna Italia-. In Lazio we found a real opening to track a shared path. The challenge today is to translate the resources available in concrete interventions, so that the share of participations can be hoped soon from 43 to more than 50% of membership.”.
“The synergy between healthcare institutions and patient associations is the most effective tool to achieve the main objective represented by the well-being of women and citizens of Lazio – have highlighted Loredana Pau, Councillor and Coordinator of the Italian Association Network and the two Delegates for Lazio Giusy Giambertone and Mariagrazia Punzo. “In this direction the twelve associations of Lazio are ready to play their part in the field. Our associative fabric – which combines socio-health support with extraordinary events on the territory – will become a fundamental information amplifier to motivate women and accompany them with confidence in the screening paths organized by the ASL of the Region”.
“The institutions have the duty to translate the resources allocated by public health into concrete, fair and timely actions for the health of the population. In this challenge, the direct commitment of women for women becomes the determining factor for change: we are all called to team up on a deep value that unites us, the culture of prevention. When institutions support the strength, sensitivity and ability to network women, prevention ceases to be a simple health program to become a large shared social pact,” said Simona Renata Baldassarre, Councillor for Culture and Equal Opportunities.
– Photos: Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
