Skin cancer in Saxony: Criticism of cuts to early detection

More than 2,200 people have died from skin cancer in Saxony in recent years. Between 2015 and 2024, there were exactly 2,225 women and men, as the Ministry of Health in Dresden announced in its answer to a minor question from the Left Party in the state parliament.

The number of skin cancer cases has risen with slight fluctuations since 2015 and has stagnated for around three years. According to the data, the number of deaths fell slightly between 2015 and 2017, but has risen significantly since then. Mortality is particularly high among older patients.

Left-wing politician believes development is avoidable

In the opinion of Left Party parliamentary group leader Susanne Schaper - a nurse by profession - this development is avoidable. She told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur that it was a matter of expanding provision and not cutting it. "We are all happy that the sun is shining more often and for longer again. However, this also increases the risk of skin cancer. This dangerous disease is curable in many cases, but only if it is detected and treated early." Regular check-ups are therefore essential. In the best-case scenario, the number of skin cancer deaths could be reduced to zero.

Schaper: Plans to cut screening are irresponsible

Schaper accused the federal government of now taking the opposite approach. She also sees a need for action in Saxony: "The state government has not yet declared an opinion on this." It should form one as quickly as possible and intervene. It is irresponsible that the federal government is considering restricting early skin cancer screening as part of its plans to cut health insurance. "This means that diseases are detected later and can be treated less effectively. This leads to just as many or even more deaths, all of which could have been avoided."

Prevention is the best and most cost-effective healthcare policy

Instead of including everyone in the financing of the healthcare system, services would be cut and care would deteriorate - "especially at the expense of those people who cannot pay for screening tests out of their own pocket", argued Schaper. It was good that a petition against cuts to skin cancer screening had already received hundreds of thousands of signatures: "Prevention is the best and most cost-effective healthcare policy."