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The objective of the Gfk Metris study was to find out the opinion of the Portuguese population about cancer, that is, the level of importance given to the disease and the knowledge it has, as well as to assess their perception of the Government’s response to the area of health. .
Of the 1001 respondents, 97 percent answered that health is extremely important. However, when asked about the importance of health for the government, only three out of ten Portuguese consider it a priority. The majority (46 percent) argue that it is an indifferent area and 20 percent say that health is a low priority for the government.
Regarding access to health care, the assessment is not positive either, especially in health centers, when compared with the hospitals of the National Health Service (SNS).
Usually, only two in ten Portuguese consider access to healthcare on the NHS easy. In public health centers, 32 percent of those surveyed answered that access is difficult, eight percent more than in relation to public hospitals. The majority (more than 40 percent) answered that access to the SNS “is not easy or difficult.”
Cancer is the disease of greatest concern
When asked about the disease that worries them the most, excluding Covid-19, 75 percent of those surveyed, which is equivalent to 6,208 million Portuguese over 18, refer to cancer as the most alarming pathology. Cardiovascular diseases and cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) are also an expressed concern (24 and 17 percent, respectively), but a far cry from the declared fear of cancer diseases.
As main reasons for concern, the Portuguese point to the “high mortality rate” (25 percent), the fact that they “had or had relatives with cancer” (25 percent) and also the fact that it is a disease that “anyone can have” (17 percent).
The study also sought to understand the opinion of the Portuguese on the extent to which cancer is a priority for the Government. Every four in ten Portuguese, or 41 percent, consider that oncological diseases have greater attention from the Government compared to health in general. Among cancer patients, this perception is more positive, as 56 percent of those surveyed consider cancer to be a government priority. When asked about the state’s level of investment in cancer, 68 percent of the Portuguese rated it as insufficient. Only 11 percent of those surveyed rated the amount allocated to fight cancer as fair.
Regarding the obstacles to access medical care in the SNS for cancer in particular, cancer patients seem to have a more positive opinion compared to the general population, especially in relation to hospitals. Two out of ten cancer patients find it easy to access care in health centers, five percent more than the opinion of the general population.
With regard to NHS hospitals, only 15 percent of the general population found access to be easy, compared to 19 percent of cancer patients surveyed. However, the prevailing view is that access to care in the NHS is difficult: 32 and 27 percent of cancer patients found it difficult to access medical care in public health centers and hospitals, respectively.
Waiting times to access cancer healthcare are clearly the main obstacle, referenced by almost half of the Portuguese over 18 years (44 percent). Respondents also noted the difficulty of making a quick / early diagnosis and the distance / travel for treatments.
Inequality in access to treatment
Another worrisome finding concerns equity in access to treatment for cancer patients. The study reveals that more than half of the Portuguese consider that the quality and availability of healthcare varies from one hospital to another.. According to 30 percent of the Portuguese, there are “big differences with a high impact” and 29 percent say that there are “some differences with some impact”.
Only ten percent of those surveyed believe that the availability and quality of health services received by a cancer patient is the same in all hospitals. In turn, six out of ten Portuguese consider that it is easier for a cancer patient to access health care in the private service than in the NHS.
Asked about the overall quality of the service provided to cancer patients in public and private institutions, the private sector is also ahead, although by a not very significant margin in the opinion of the general population: 37 and 40 percent consider the NHS service and the private service to be of “good quality”, respectively.
However, from the point of view of cancer patients, the opinion on the overall quality of treatment in the two services is contrary to that of the general population: 65 percent highlight the good quality of the NHS, in contrast to 28 percent of the private service.
The main criticism leveled at the NHS is the long wait times. In the comparison between the public and private service, 48 percent of those surveyed emphasize precisely that the main advantage of the private service is faster service, followed by better monitoring and quality of service.
Investment in cancer is insufficient
When it comes to innovative cancer treatments, only 12 percent of the Portuguese consider them easily accessible. Again, the opinion of cancer patients is substantially more positive, with 27 percent finding these treatments affordable. However, 42 percent of respondents find it easier to access innovative treatments from other countries in the European Union.
Apifarma highlights that these data are in line with the 2019 patient waiting indicator report from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Associations and Industries (EFPIA), which indicates that In Portugal, the rate of availability of innovative drugs is around 50 percent and the time required for the State to approve the financing of these drugs takes, on average, 711 days, that is, almost two years. For anticancer drugs, this waiting period increases to 836 days.
Regarding the economic, social and labor support for cancer patients, the lack of knowledge about them (mainly economic) stands out, both in the general population and in cancer patients in particular. In this question, the vast majority of respondents answered “I don’t know / I don’t answer”.
However, the vast majority of Portuguese (42 percent) agree that in other European countries the overall quality of support is better and 68 percent maintain that the Portuguese state’s investment in cancer is insufficient.
Although the vast majority of respondents found the process to obtain Social Security or pension support easy, nearly 90 percent of cancer patients say they have not received any support.
