This paper aims to identify the perspective of multiple stakeholders on the socio-economic burden of cancer in Romania. The Romanian health system is among the poorest in the European Union and cancer patients are among the most vulnerable. They do not only face difficulties in accessing diagnosis and treatment, but they encounter obstacles on the labour market due to the lack of support from the authorities and business environment. Using a qualitative approach (focus group) different categories of stakeholders have been investigated: patient associations, practitioners (physicians), academics and labour market representatives. Six recurrent themes occurred from the analysis of these stakeholders’ perspectives: lack of data, financial toxicity of cancer caused by the burden of the “out of the pocket money”, healthcare insufficient resources (material and human), lack of interest in the patient needs, inconsistent and inefficient legal framework, and systemic deficiencies of the Romanian society. The results are important for policy makers in order to design a proper Cancer Policy in Romania. Read more
Keywords:
stakeholders, social burden of cancer, cancer policy, Romania
JEL:
I18, I13