09:12 | Lima, Nov. 05 (ANDINA).
The Peruvian government is working on the consolidation of a universal health system that includes cancer care, President Ollanta Humala said when opening the 5th International Cancer Control Congress in Lima on Monday.
The event, which runs until Wednesday, is organized by the International Association of Cancer Control Congresses and Peru's Intersectoral Committee on Plan Esperanza ("Plan Hope"), a government initiative which seeks to improve comprehensive cancer care and access to oncology services.
"This government has started down an irreversible path toward the consolidation of a universal health system that includes cancer care," said Humala, who was accompanied by Peruvian Health Minister Midori De Habich.
Also attending the opening session was Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne, who is paying her first official visit to the South American nation.
During her stay, Etienne will visit the Tayta Wasi Health Center, which provides care for older adults in the Villa Maria del Triunfo district, south of Lima.
She is also expected to meet with the resident coordinator of the United Nations system in Peru and other representatives of U.N. agencies active in Peru.
(END) EEP/EEP
Published: 11/5/2013