Federal Minister of health, Jens Spahn (CDU) is known for its steep theses. In the run-up to world cancer day, he had is already with the statement that cancer can be defeated in ten to 20 years, considerable criticism. On world cancer day itself he went, however, for many of those Affected.
In a Tweet, the Federal Minister of health wrote that anyone “could start his own personal fight against cancer,” directly. Then he (more) was Smoking a known risk factors: “move more, eat healthy, and the skin from UV-radiation (sun cream)!”
Scientifically Spahn has seen with his statement right. Alone in 2018 could have been prevented in Germany 165.000 of 440,000 cancer, if all people would behave in relation to their health is exemplary. This was the result of a study by the German cancer research center. The Figures show, however, that much of the cancer, his fate had been sick, never in the Hand.
Add to that, that cancer is a highly individual disease – and the German health system is based with the statutory health insurance funds on the basis of the solidarity principle. Everyone is included and treated – regardless of how he behaves.
How were the tweets, the reactions to Spahns?
Many of those Affected and their relatives felt that the statement attacked, Spahns Tweet more than 1000 comments gathered within a few hours. The most before throwing him to simplify and to generalize.
19 hours after he had disposed of his Tweet, responded Spahn to the criticism. In another post on Twitter, he apologized: “I’m sorry if my Tweet was misleading. Nothing is more distant to me than to give the Patients complicity or to trivialize cancer.”
Instead of explaining his statement further, with Spahn, a more General prevention, earlier detection and better therapies should help to reduce the heavy burden of sorrow.
Cancer in Germany after cardiovascular diseases the second most common cause of death. 2015 cancer diseases, according to the Federal Statistical office, the cause for almost a quarter of all deaths.