Parliament unanimously supports the declaration of National Cancer Survivors Day

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Thursday unanimously supported the initiative to declare the first Sunday in June National Cancer Survivors Day.

The chair of the Health and Social Policy Committee, Renata Sabljar Dračevac, said that an estimated 170,000 citizens of Croatia live with cancer, noting that the cancer experience also affects entire families, the social and working environment, and medical staff.

National Cancer Survivors Day will put focus on this large population and on the importance of prevention and healthy lifestyles, Sabljar Dračevac said.

Marin Miletić (Bridge) said that 15,000 Croatian citizens die of smoking-related causes every year. He urged the government to launch projects promoting recreation, healthy lifestyles, and diets, and to actively campaign against smoking.

Irena Šimunić (Social Democrats) said that cancer is not only a health problem but also a social one. "Croatia ranks second in the European Union in terms of mortality from malignant diseases. If detected in time, cancer is a curable disease," she said.