On Friday, 15 December 2023, the Ministry of Health Stakeholder Forum took place in the Slovak Ministry of Health: Integration of Clinical Care, Research, Innovation and Education within the Network of Comprehensive Cancer Centres in Europe. State of play and challenges for Slovakia under the auspices of the President of the Slovak Republic, dedicated to the Crane-JA project: Network of Comprehensive Cancer Centres (CCCs) The National Cancer Institute (NOI) in the National Cancer Institute (NAC) actively participates in this project, the main objective of which is to create a European network of already existing and newly established complex cancer centres, to support the implementation of early disease capture, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support for the survival of cancer patients, research and training for staff in oncology, ensuring the necessary quality and its control. The project prepares the necessary preconditions for administration and professional security to facilitate the establishment of such a European network.
During the Stakeholder President Zuzana Čaputová, as well as Deputy Head of the Department for Cancer Diseases and Health in the European Commission, DG Santé - Mathias Schuppe, spoke to the members of the Forum. In the conference hall, the Minister of Health Zuzana Dolinková and the scientific coordinator of the Crane-JA project, Tit Abreht, were welcomed and greeted.
Minister of Health Zuzana Dolinková said in her speech that connecting Slovakia with experts from leading organisations and institutions in Europe is very important: The creation of a comprehensive cancer centre in Slovakia and its involvement in the European network of cancer centres will allow for progress in oncology care, which will be linked to top research and education. I see the implementation of the approved European Cancer Plan and the Slovak National Cancer Programme as a political commitment. The Ministry of Health will provide full synergies in the implementation of actions that can bring benefits for cancer patients, their families, close relatives and ultimately for all citizens of the Slovak Republic.– State Secretary MZ SR Michal Štofko expressed his full support for the creation of a comprehensive cancer centre by the Ministry of Health.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic Róbert Zsembera promised to cooperate with the Ministry of Health: It is necessary to end the sector and create project groups that will cooperate and the results of the cooperation will be felt by the patients themselves. At the same time, we want the issue of disease prevention to be addressed in schools of all types.
Tit Abreht highlighted Slovakia's commitment to this major project and also to the joint efforts to meet the objectives of the European Plan to Combat Cancer:It is very positive that today there has been strong political support for the project from both ministries. It has to be said that oncology care is here, but the complexity of this care and the cooperation between existing centres and future centres, the correct planned path of the patient, and that it is clear what care will be given to the patient on this journey.As part of the flagship initiative 5 of the European Plan to Combat Cancer, at least one national complex cancer centre is set up in each EU Member State and its links with the other centres' network in the EU. The Centre's task is to facilitate the introduction of quality diagnostics and treatments, including training, research and clinical trials across the EU. The aim is also that 90% of patients requiring treatment at the centre should have access to it. A comprehensive cancer centre should provide cancer care across different types of cancer during the patient's journey and integrate healthcare with research, innovation and education at all levels. An example of the cancer centre that has recently received the designation of the accredited complex cancer centre OECI is Masaryk's Cancer Institute in Brno.
The Slovak Republic does not currently have a comprehensive cancer centre. We are therefore faced with a major challenge, bringing together all relevant stakeholders in a joint debate with the follow-up of actions leading to the creation of an cancer centre that successfully assist cancer patients and can fully integrate excellent research, development and education with high-quality and accessible healthcare. said Maria Rečková, director of the National Cancer Institute.
The coordinator for the research and educational projects NOI Soňa Čieriková added: "Even thanks to the active participation of NOI in the NOI in the renowned European project CRANE-JA, Slovakia is engaged in initiatives of the European Plan to Combat Cancer, aimed at improving the availability of comprehensive care for cancer patients and reducing inequalities in prevention, diagnosis and treatment that currently exist across Europe."
On the basis of the Action Plan 3 of the National Cancer Programme of the Slovak Republic, the National Comprehensive Cancer Centre at the National Cancer Institute in Bratislava and its follow-up comprehensive care in oncology institutes (Occology Institute of St. Elizabeth in Bratislava, East Slovakian Cancer Institute in Košice) and a network of complex cancer centres in order to improve access to adequate and innovative diagnosis and treatment of cancer diseases for all patients in Slovakia. The development of child oncology needs to be ensured in the National Institute of Children's Diseases with a follow-up to the complex oncology centre in the NOÚ.
Chief expert of MZ SR for the field of clinical oncology and head of II. Oncology clinic LF UK and NOU Michal Mego: I very much appreciate that experts from various fields of oncology have expressed interest in discussing the current state and challenges facing Slovakia in creating a complex cancer centre. The National Cancer Institute faces a difficult and ambitious task of being a leader and coordinator of oncology in Slovakia, which it will approach with great humility and responsibility, taking full advantage of the experience not only from the Czech Republic but also from other EU countries that already have such a centre or even more centres. It is also important to train new doctors - oncologists and science and research are needed to bring innovative treatment to patients.
Within the framework of the principles already declared, discussed in July 2023 in the Ministry of Quality and Accreditation of OECI Simon Oberst, it is necessary to combine research on cancer, education and healthcare in order to create the necessary amount of expertise and competences. It is important to establish mechanisms to strengthen and maintain cooperation that provides high-quality healthcare with an integral involvement of high-quality research and education. In addition to ensuring the provision of available quality medical care, it is essential to effectively link basic, translational and clinical research and to ensure quality and systematic pre-graduate and continuous post-graduate education across health professions and trade unions involved in the provision of cancer care.
Among the presenters at the Stakeholder Forum were the Deputy for Health Care at the National Cancer Institute, Jozef Dolník, General Manager of the Cancer Center Board, Oslo University Hospital CCC Per Magnus Mæhle, Chief Coordinator of the Important Project ECHOS (Establishing of Cancer Mission Hubs: Networks and Synergies) - Hugo Soares and Head of the Accreditation Section of the International Accreditation Department at the Masaryk Cancer Institute of the CCC in Brno - Olga Sapožnikov and other stakeholders.
At the end of the event, the proposal of the Stakeholder Statement was presented, defining the main outputs of the event, which will be commented and published at the beginning of 2024 as an important supporting material for the creation of the Cancer Centre in Slovakia.