Stakeholder Meeting on Improving Access to Cancer Screening & Prevention among People Experiencing Homelessness in Europe: The CANCERless Project
By Irfan Lone
On March 19, 2024, the European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) convened a stakeholder meeting in the framework of the CANCERless.EU project at the European Parliament in Brussels. The gathering aimed to address the critical issue of cancer screening and prevention among individuals experiencing homelessness across Europe. The meeting was hosted my Mr. Stelios Kypouropolis (MEP, Greece), bringing together experts, policymakers, and representatives from the social, health, and cancer communities to discuss strategies for improving access to essential healthcare services.
The meeting paved a unique opportunity to highlight the core of “Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan”, focusing in particular on its Equity pillar, an issue of great importance to the CANCERless.EU project and Europe’s vision of a “Cancer Free Europe”. Emphasising the rights-based approach to social and health care justice for people
experiencing homelessness, this stakeholder gathering also spotlighted first-hand, evidence-based information on a range of unique barriers in health/cancer care and highlighted the need to address them.