The National Assembly was host of the roundtable titled “Politicians and society – united in the efforts to limit cervical cancer”. The forum is under the patronage of the parliament’s Chairwoman Mrs Tsetska Tsacheva and is co-organized with the assistance of the Sofia Municipality.

In her address to the participants the Speaker of Parliament Mrs Tsetska Tsacheva noted that her institution has a lasting commitment to the noble cause of fighting oncological diseases. She noticed that cervical cancer is among the 5 most encountered oncological diseases in women in the country. Every year 1100 new cases occur and more than 340 deaths as a result. The chair of parliament recalled that in 2012 for the first time ever, due to the new texts adopted to the NHIF Budget Act, through transfer for the Ministry of Health funds for anticervical cancer vaccine were allocated. The vaccine is included in the list of the recommended immunizations of the Ministry of Health of Bulgaria.
The chairwoman of the parliamentary Healthcare committee Mrs Desislava Atanasova expressed hope that the event will contribute to better the information among women about the only preventable at the moment oncological disease.
The Mayor of Sofia Mrs Yordanka Fandakova noticed that it was the responsibility of politicians and of all who are in charge and care about children’s and youth’s health to apply policies or measures directed at prevention. She thanked all municipal school principals of Sofia who attribute an important place to the health education in their curriculum.

The roundtable was attended by the Director of the European Cervical Cancer Prevention Association, Dr. Anna Horhe, who delivered a report themed “Cervical cancer prevention in Europe – challenges and polices of the vaccine introduction”. The forum was also attended by health professionals, experts and representatives of the National Health Insurance Fund.