About us
INTRODUCTION
Campaigning for Cancer is a patient advocacy organisation formed in 2008 to give a voice to South African cancer patients and those affected by cancer.
The pioneer of South African cancer patient advocacy, Campaigning for Cancer continues to advocate for the promotion and protection of the rights of patients and those affected by cancer with regard to policy, healthcare costs and healthcare delivery.
Campaigning for Cancer does this on an individual patient level – changing one life at a time – by providing people with the knowledge and tools to see their treatment process through; as well as on a larger scale, by noting issues highlighted by these individual cases and advocacting for policy change that will affect all of society.
The dictionary defines advocacy as: “The act of pleading or arguing in favour of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support.”
Our goal is to ensure that credible and reliable information regarding all facets of the disease is readily available and to inform the patient (and the general public) about how to manage their liberties and gain the best results for themselves, creating responsible and proactive healthcare consumers.
In countries around the world, advocacy is seen as an integral part of community representation and policy development and, in the healthcare field, it involves empowering patients to take control of their health, understand their options; and campaign for healthcare improvements. Advocacy is a catalyst that can drive health system changes.
We work with government representatives; cancer-focused NGOs; professional associations; private funders; the media and media associations; employers, health practitioners and healthcare facilities, and pharmaceutical companies as well as other fundamental stakeholders to make sure the patient’s and community’s perspectives are placed at the forefront of policy decision-making.
We constantly communicate with these policy-making entities which implement legislation and healthcare delivery for cancer to ensure that the patient is consulted and their views considered in all decision-making processes that affect the healthcare consumer by increasing the numbers of patients actively participating in decision-making platforms.
