Válek at EU health ministers meeting: We want cooperation on cancer treatment

The quality and availability of cancer treatment should be the same across all member states, Health Minister Vlastimil Válek said at the launch of an informal meeting of EU health ministers in Prague. This aim should be achieved by connecting treatment centres into a cooperative network, he said, adding that member states should also have similar programs for the early detection of cancer.

According to Mr Válek, Czechia intends to prepare a set of standards for prostate cancer screenings and propose them to the whole EU.

The two-day informal meeting of European Union health ministers began in Prague on Tuesday evening. The health chiefs are holding talks with the producers of vaccines against Covid-19 with a view to revising existing contracts to supply the drugs.

They will also discuss the impact of the war in Ukraine on healthcare, with Ukraine’s minister of health joining in on the meeting online.

Czechia currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.