The NexGen alliance, promoted by iPg ACCESS, secures the commitment of health authorities for better and more equal access to molecular diagnostics.
Molecular diagnostics can save lives. However, access for patients is currently not equal in Spain, so how can it be made available to more people?
With the competence for healthcare devolved to the Autonomous Communities, up to 17 different “healthcare systems” coexist. And access to healthcare decision-makers has become even more difficult with the focus having been on COVID-19. Today more than ever, public health priorities are constantly changing.
The patient at the center
As Arantxa Sáez, president of the Spanish Thyroid Cancer Association (AECAT), told us, the updating of plans and strategies by the public administrations takes a long time, “and sometimes patients do not have that time”. Their survival depends on overcoming administrative and/or economic barriers. So tough, but real.
In this context, we led the NexGen project from our healthcare unit, iPg ACCESS. The aim was to join forces and contribute to ensuring that cancer patients have equal access to advanced diagnostic techniques, the first step towards access to precision therapies.
The five keys to success
How did we get the NexGen group of experts recommendations adopted by the health authorities? These were the main keys:
- Authorized voices: We formed an alliance with oncologists, pathologists, scientific societies, patient associations, managers and other experts with extensive experience and recognition in their field.
- Know the reality well: The necessary time, effort and knowledge were devoted to an in-depth analysis of the current situation at the national and regional level, in order to identify the main barriers and opportunities.
- Align strategies with the health authorities: We generated a favorable environment with the Ministry of Health and the Health Departments for the Autonomous Communities, aligning ourselves with their short and long-term objectives. For example, those included in their personalized medicine strategies.
- Capitalizing on the road already traveled: The group of experts explored notable international experiences in this field, such as that of Belgium, and identified keys that could be adapted to Spain. We also highlighted and took advantage of initiatives already underway in our country.
- Providing knowledge: Among other actions, we organized a high-level forum, with more than 135 qualified attendees, and compiled all the intelligence generated into a practical report.
Learning and walking together
These and many others have been the lessons learned from the NexGen project. As stated by Ares Cases, public affairs consultant at iPg, “no step along the road we have traveled would have been possible without the doctors, experts, industry -especially Lilly Spain-, administrations and patients”. To all of them: THANK YOU.
Contact us for more information about the keys to success of this and other iPg ACCESS projects.
