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Ramon Reyes: How Spain is Protecting Cancer Survivors from Discrimination?

Ramon Reyes/LinkedIn

Aug 7, 2025, 11:23

Ramon Reyes: How Spain is Protecting Cancer Survivors from Discrimination?

Ramon Reyes, President of the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) and the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Don’t let cancer discriminate against you: the right to be forgotten about cancer

More than 2.2 million people have overcome or are living with cancer in our country. People who deserve to rebuild their lives without carrying the diagnosis as an invisible slab.

Thanks to advances in investigation and prevention, survival continues to grow. But so do the challenges: how do we ensure that those who have overcome cancer do not suffer discrimination? Legislating accordingly and monitoring so that the rules are complied with.

For those who are not familiar with the impact of cancer on our personal/work environment, it may seem “strange” that someone can be discriminated against for suffering from this disease even when they have already overcome it.

What types of discrimination do patients and survivors face?

· They are denied insurance or offered to them with strongly restrictive conditions.
· They find it difficult to access mortgages or financial products.
· They suffer stigmas and prejudices that affect their access to employment or job promotions.
· They are required to declare their medical record without legal or medical justification.

It is a silent but real discrimination. For this reason, the right to be forgotten about cancer, regulated in Royal Decree-Law 5/2023, is a decisive advance: it allows people who have overcome cancer and have not relapsed for at least 5 years not to be obliged to declare it. A measure of justice and equity.

To ensure its real application, the Spanish Association Against Cancer and UNESPA signed a historic agreement this July that reinforces this right. UNESPA is the business association that represents the insurance sector in Spain and brings together the companies that offer insurance and reinsurance in the country. It represents more than 200 insurance companies and its members manage 98% of the insurance turnover in Spain.

This agreement presents a joint action protocol: it is a channel for dialogue to identify possible cases of discrimination, it includes corrective measures in the event of rights violations, as well as specialised training for staff in the insurance sector, as well as joint awareness-raising and accompaniment days. An agreement that guarantees that the entire insurance sector in Spain respects the right to be forgotten about cancer.