To mark World Cancer Day on 4th February, Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds has committed to continuing his work in standing up for cancer patients to ensure they receive high quality cancer diagnosis, treatment, and support.
World Cancer Day is an annual event to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. The campaign theme for 2022 is “Close the Care Gap” aiming to highlight and tackle the significant issue of cancer inequalities. While Cancer Research Wales point out that cancer survival rates have increased in Wales over the past 2 decades, there is still much to be done to reduce the cancer inequalities that exist.
The Torfaen MP has been a passionate campaigner to improve cancer outcomes since elected in 2015, successfully changing the law on off-patent drugs so cancer patients could get easier and cheaper access to old drugs that had proven effective at treating cancer.
Locally, Mr Thomas-Symonds has also served as a patron of the ‘Friends of the Breast Unit for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board’ since 2019, supporting their fundraising efforts to build a new Breast Care Unit for patients.
On World Cancer Day, Mr Thomas-Symonds MP said: “As someone who has lost loved ones to cancer, campaigning to improve treatment and support for cancer patients has been a top priority for me as Torfaen MP.
I was proud to secure changes to the law to allow cancer patients access to off-patent drugs that has saved lives, and it was a privilege to serve on the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Blood and Bowel cancer. I will continue to call for better cancer services and ensure that the voices of cancer patients and their loved ones are heard.’