New Bill to Modernize Cancer Patient Monitoring and Treatment

Cancer continues to affect thousands in Greece. Within the next ten days, the Ministry of Health will launch a public consultation on a new bill aimed at modernizing the monitoring and treatment of oncology patients. A cornerstone of the bill is the transformation of the National Neoplasm Registry into a mobile application, creating a direct communication bridge between patients and medical staff. This shift from traditional electronic health records to a user-friendly app is more than a technical upgrade—it aims to build a ‘digital community’ where patients share experiences and physicians rapidly exchange diagnostic tests and conduct digital oncology consultations, a practice already implemented in oncology hospitals since last summer. Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis emphasized its importance at the 10th Annual ELLOK Conference: ‘We want to encourage digital technology use both among cancer patients—sharing real-life experiences managing various cancer types—and among doctors, enabling easier contact, information exchange, diagnostics sharing, and digital oncology councils.’ Early diagnosis remains critical: under the ‘I Prevent’ program, 178,000 citizens were identified with findings (including cardiovascular), over half of whom were diagnosed with cancer and are now in treatment. Improved access to specialists via the myhealth app and helpline 1566 has significantly accelerated first specialist evaluations. Beyond digital tools, the Ministry is advancing infrastructure investments—including new Oncology Units like the Immunotherapy Center at Papageorgiou Hospital (to be delivered by Easter) and Greece’s largest Radiotherapy Center at Sotiria Hospital (operational by 30 June)—and committing major funding through the 2026–2030 Public Investment Program for the National Cancer Action Plan, led by ELLOK.