Cancer Moonshot programme – a health care initiative that aims to boost cancer survivability– is all set to be another leap from the administration of United States President Joe Biden, in addition to tackling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The programme is being revamped and revived after being first introduced by former President Barack Obama.
The White House released a fact sheet on Wednesday that says the Cancer Moonshot initiative has been designed to improve the life of those diagnosed with the deadly disease and at the same time cut the death rate in half in the next 25 years.
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Various new initiatives have been rolled out in the new plan, which is likely to be announced by Biden from the White House east room on Wednesday. A “Cancer Moonshot coordinator” will be appointed by the White House. Moreover, a “Cancer Cabinet” will also be formed to facilitate the programme.
According to the White House fact sheet released on Wednesday, multiple agencies from the Biden administration will have representation in the cabinet. These will include departments like Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Health and Human Services, Energy and Defense.
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Biden, who was Vice President under former President Obama, was given charge of the initiative after its original release. However, the initiative was terminated in 2019 after Biden announced his bid for the White House.
According to reports from NBC News, an administration official said that “a lot has changed that makes it possible to set really ambitious goals” while talking about the new Cancer Moonshot programme.
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Why is it important to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris?
The Cancer Moonshot programme has been linked to Biden and Harris on a personal level. Biden’s son Beau died in 2015 after being diagnosed with brain cancer. VP Harris’ mother, who is of Indian origin, was a breast cancer researcher. She died of colon cancer in 2009.
Biden also previously kick-started the “Biden Cancer Initiative”, a not-for-profit organisation that worked on cancer research, prevention and awareness.
