In Costa Rica, more than 13,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed per year and more than 6,000 people die from this disease every 12 months. A diagnosis of these impacts the emotional, social and economic life not only of the patient, but also of the family, since it means the coverage of the costs of transfers, food associated with the application of treatments, clinical examinations, among others.
Given this, people who are in a difficult socioeconomic situation often stop going to medical appointments due to the cost of mobility and cut back on food and education, or stop paying the bills for basic household expenses.
The transfer between the hospital and their homes is one of the main difficulties for patients
For this reason and understanding that one of the main needs of cancer patients, who live in vulnerable conditions in the country, is the transfer to health centers to apply treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, the initiative “Moving Hope” was developed.”
This is an alliance between the companies Uber and AstraZeneca, with the United Association Against Cancer (UCC) and the National Association Overcoming the Obstacles of Life (ANASOVI), which will provide transfers to patients from the México, San Juan de Dios, Calderón Guardia, San Vicente de Paul and Max Peralta medical centers to which the aforementioned patient organizations provide support.
The initiative will provide free mobility through the Uber application to oncohematology patients who are in a position of economic vulnerability. These patients who will benefit will be previously identified in coordination with each of the health centers mentioned above, and once selected, the transfer will be coordinated through the patient organizations.
A great help for the patient
“We faithfully believe that it represents a great help for the patient, since cancer treatment is difficult and has a significant economic and social impact for the family. For this reason, we hope that this initiative will somewhat mitigate the impact that the disease has on an integral level in each patient”, commented Alexandra Núñez, president of the United Association against Cancer.
The senior manager of Uber Communications for Central America and the Caribbean, Carolina Coto, commented: “We are proud to support this alliance that will allow us to make trips available with Uber so that patients can go to and from medical centers and thus access treatments, free of charge. This aligns with our mission to provide access to communities and remove barriers to mobility.”
“We have visualized the obstacles and barriers that add complexity from the moment of its diagnosis and thus, together with different social actors, we have sought solutions to provide better support in this process,” explained Briceida Cantillo, president of Anasovi.
According to the National Cancer Institute of the United States, poverty is related to an increased risk of dying from cancer. The overall annual death rate from cancer of all types is estimated to have been 12% higher in places with persistent poverty. Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Nearly 10 million deaths are registered annually. The types of cancer that cause the greatest number of deaths are: lung (1.8 million deaths), colorectal (916,000 deaths), liver (830,000 deaths), gastric (769,000 deaths) and breast (685,000 deaths).
