World Cancer Day – Close the Care Gap

February 4th saw the global awareness day, World Cancer Day in which the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) are running a 3-year campaign ” Close the Care Gap”. They are running a  multi-year campaign in the hope of more exposure and engagement, more opportunities to build global awareness and ultimately more impact. The UICC objective is to work together to reduce the global impact of cancer.

2022 – Realising the problem

The first year of the ‘Close the Care Gap’ campaign was all about understanding and recognising the inequities in cancer care around the globe. It’s about having an open mind, challenging assumptions and looking at the hard facts:

  • Inequity in cancer care costs lives.
  • People who seek cancer care hit barriers at every turn.
  • Income, education, location and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and lifestyle are just a few of the factors that can negatively affect care.
  • The gap affects everyone, including you and your loved ones.
  • These barriers are not set in stone. They can be changed.

This was the year to question the status quo and help reduce stigma; to listen to the perspectives of the people living with cancer and their communities and let those lived experiences guide our thoughts and actions.

2023 – Uniting our voices and taking action

As the campaign continues into its second year, UICC wants to encourage like-minded people to come together to celebrate real-world progress in its many forms and allow that momentum to fuel the fight for fairness. This includes building stronger alliances, new collaborations and mobilising our friends, family, coworkers and communities because together we can achieve almost anything.

As a company, we work alongside the biggest and smallest organisations in Pathology, which are all contributing to the continuous developments in cancer research, treatment and patient care. We are proud to be able to support our customers with our service and products by supplying them with the necessary equipment that allows them to continue their developments seamlessly. Not only do we recognise, celebrate and promote the advances scientists and researchers have made in cancer developments through our social media platforms and newsletter, but our company ethos is to give back. We not only give back to the organisations and charities that support and raise funds for scientific advancements but also the organisations and charities that provide care and support to the people and families affected by cancer. To support this year’s World Cancer Day theme of “Uniting our voices and taking action” we are taking place in a number of fundraising activities throughout the year to raise money and awareness for charities such as Macmillan Cancer, Cancer Research, Hope House and more. Activities include participating in the Shrewsbury Coracle Race, sponsored walks/runs, hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning as well as raising donations such as Easter Eggs to send to Children’s hospitals and wards. You can keep up to date on our company activities and fundraising on our “Giving Back” blog.

Please join us in celebrating the fantastic work scientists and researchers are doing to learn more complex details about how to prevent, diagnose, treat, and survive cancer resulting in the overall cancer death rate declining.

 

2024: Together, we challenge those in power

The last year of the campaign is all about bringing attention to a higher level—literally. With knowledge and a united community, we will raise their voices to engage with leaders, demanding a commitment to prioritising cancer. Creating innovative strategies designed to confront inequity and investing our resources to achieve a just and cancer-free world.

 

Learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved in the movement at the link below:

Campaign theme I World Cancer Day