Andorra approves healthcare 'right to be forgotten' for illness survivors
The General Council has passed a law protecting people who have recovered from serious illnesses from discrimination in insurance, credit and.
Key Points
- General Council approved a law to shield recovered patients from discrimination.
- Protections cover insurance, credit and adoption and include a sanctioning regime.
- Specifically targets survivors of cancer, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS; expansion possible in future.
- Measure was pushed by patient groups like Assandca and passed with parliamentary consensus/unanimity.
The General Council has approved the healthcare "right to be forgotten" law, bringing into effect a measure long sought by patient groups.
The Andorran Association Against Cancer (Assandca) had repeatedly called for such protection. Its president, Josep Saravia, stressed that children who have survived cancer should not be penalized years later or be limited in access to the same rights as other citizens.
The law, together with an accompanying sanctioning regime to ensure its effectiveness, aims to protect people who have overcome serious illnesses so they are not discriminated against in insurance, credit or adoption processes.
Put simply, the measure seeks to allow people who have had cancer, hepatitis or HIV/AIDS to live more normalized lives without their medical history unduly affecting access to products and services.
Lawmakers noted the framework may need to be expanded in future to cover additional products and conditions as medical science advances. Supporters hope implementation will enjoy the same consensus and unanimity seen during the parliamentary vote, and that the text will help open doors to a fuller life for survivors.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: