Bill 417.

Summary.

The bill designates June 3 of each year as National Cancer Survivors Day in Panama. It links the date to awareness of the needs of people who have undergone oncological care and to recognition of consequences that may accompany diagnosis and treatment. Its provisions address the observance and the communication of those needs to the public and to institutions.

Article 1 identifies designation of the national date as the bill’s main objective. It places awareness and public understanding of the needs faced by survivors of oncological processes at the center of the observance. The provision focuses on the circumstances of people who have survived cancer and makes those circumstances the stated purpose of the annual date proposed for Panama.

Article 2 declares June 3 of each year National Cancer Survivors Day. It proposes identifying the date with the color green, which the text associates with hope and health, and with the slogan “WE ARE ALL SURVIVORS” («TODOS SOMOS SOBREVIVIENTES»). The article also refers to people beyond the patient: it names family members, friends and the wider public as people who live with consequences of cancer, including side effects. The color and slogan are thus attached to the proposed observance and to the people it addresses.

Article 3 recognizes cancer survivors by referring to stages they may experience beginning with diagnosis. It lists the start of treatment, surgeries, chemotherapy and radiology, and refers to physical effects that may be temporary or permanent. The recognition encompasses both the experience of the oncological process and physical consequences that may accompany it or persist after one of its stages.

Article 4 calls for the needs and continuing effects experienced by cancer survivors to be made known to the public and to public and private institutions. It addresses those circumstances specifically in connection with return to work and job stability. In that context, it refers to existing laws in the country that provide protection for people with chronic illnesses. The provision connects communication of survivors’ needs with the employment circumstances they face.

Article 5 states that the proposed law will impose no obligation with respect to the Labor Code (Código de Trabajo) of the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá). Article 6 provides for the law to take effect on the day following its promulgation. The bill concerns the public and private institutions to which the communication is directed and may be of interest to cancer survivors, their families and friends, employers, and sectors involved in oncological care and employment.