A significant step towards meaningful patient participation in shaping cancer policies is being taken with the official recognition of the Hellenic Cancer Federation – ELLOK as an institutional interlocutor of the Greek State on matters relating to cancer care and the rights of people with cancer.

The recognition was institutionalised through Ministerial Decision of the Ministry of Health, published in Government Gazette B’ 5042/11.08.2026, and is not merely symbolic. It provides for the participation of ELLOK representatives in the competent bodies of the State that take decisions concerning:

  • the development of policies for cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, palliative care and post-treatment care, as well as the evaluation of current practices;
  • the organisation of public and private bodies in the field of oncology;
  • the collective and individual rights of people with cancer, caregivers and members of their families.

In parallel, provision is made for ELLOK to participate in research programmes related to cancer care.

The Decision creates a clearer institutional framework for the participation of the organised cancer patient community in the processes through which cancer policies are developed and evaluated. The experience of people living with or beyond cancer is not simply a voice that should be heard, but an essential source of knowledge for designing policies and services that respond to the real needs of patients.

This development is particularly significant in the current context, as work has already begun on the new National Cancer Action Plan. ELLOK has participated from the outset in the Working Group established by the Ministry of Health, so that the perspective and experience of patients form an integral part of the development of the new National Cancer Action Plan.

The President of the Hellenic Cancer Federation – ELLOK, George Kapetanakis, said:  “The recognition of ELLOK as an institutional interlocutor of the State represents an important achievement given the systematic efforts of the last decade for the voice and experience of people living with cancer to have a meaningful place where the decisions that affect them are designed and taken.

At the same time, this development significantly increases our own responsibility: to represent the patient community consistently, with evidence and responsibility; to highlight the real needs, barriers and inequalities that continue to exist; and to put forward realistic and sustainable proposals that can lead to measurable change.

For us, patient participation is not an end in itself. It acquires real value when experience becomes knowledge, knowledge becomes better policies, and those policies in better care and quality of life for every person facing cancer in our country.”

This institutional recognition strengthens a role that ELLOK has been systematically building over recent years, representing the cancer patient community and participating in national and European dialogue to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and quality of life after cancer.

ELLOK will continue to work in cooperation with the State, the scientific and academic community, healthcare professionals and all stakeholders across the cancer ecosystem, with the aim of contributing to an effective, fair, people-centred and accessible cancer care system for all.