L AT V I J A S

S A B I E D R I S K O AT T I E C Ī B U

G A D A B A LV A 2 0 0 7

Konkursa darbu pieteikuma anketa

Iesniedzējs:Komunikāciju aģentūra/Edelman Affiliate

Kontaktpersona:IlonaZacmane

Adrese:Kr.Barona13/15,Rīga,LV-1011

Tālrunis:67201460

E-pasta adrese:ilona.zacmane@ka.lv

Kampaņas pasūtītājs:LeikēmijasslimniekuatbalstabiedrībaunLimfomaspacientuatbalstabiedrība

Kampaņas datumi & realizācijas laiks:28.08.2006.–15.09.2006.

Kampaņas nosaukums:Leikēmijasunlimfomasdiena–2006.

Kampaņas kategorija:sabiedriskāpolitika

Papildus iesniegtie drukātie un elektroniskie materiāli:pasūtītājavēstule,projektaapraksts,fotogrāfijas,publikācijuizgriezumi

Darba iesniedzēja vārds, uzvārds un paraksts:IlonaZacmane

Kampaņas pasūtītāja pārstāvja amats, vārds, uzvārds un paraksts:sk.pasūtītājavēstuli

L E I K Ē M I J A S U N L I M F O M A S D I E N A – 2 0 0 6

C A M P A I G N D E S C R I P T I O N

ClientAssociation for Leukaemia Patients Support and Association for Lymphoma Patients Support. Financed and supported by pharmaceutical companies „Roche”, „Novartis”.

Description of situationThere are more than 6000 leukaemia and lymphoma patients in Latvia, treatment is complicated and expensive, but the government financing for treatment was insufficient.Therefore it was necessary to attract attention of the patients, their supporters, decision makers, journalists and a wider society to the situation of leukaemia and lymphoma patients and their problems, i.e., the insufficient availability of medicaments and government financing.

ObjectivesTo achieve support for leukaemia and lymphoma patients from the government and increase financing for treatment reimbursement. Another objective was to attract attention of the society to the problems of leukaemia and lymphoma patients in Latvia, so that the society would support this group and encourage the adoption of political decisions.

R E S E A R C H

KA/Edelman studied the mechanism of resolution adoption concerning financing of particular groups of diagnoses, in government institutions.KA/Edelman analysed the experience of other countries (Estonia, United Kingdom etc.) in defending patient’s rights and increasing public awareness.

KA/Edelman also studied the origin and meaning of the symbol of the crane, movement of paper crane folding in the world, as well as local society attitude towards this symbol. Through an informal survey of community representatives it was established, that a great part of respondents recognised the motive of the paper crane from the popular story about a Japanese girl.

KA/Edelman linked the motive of the paper crane to the theme of leukaemia, although in the world the crane movement stands for peace.

S T R A T E G Y

KA/Edelman offered to establish a Leukaemia and Lymphoma Day – September 15, and to put emphasis on paper cranes. The leading motive of the event was folding of 1000 paper cranes thus symbolically supporting the patients of blood cancer or leukaemia and lymphoma.

The strategy of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Day can be divided in several parts, all of which were planned to reach as large part of society as possible with minimal expenditures: • Public event in Esplanāde park with participation of artists and musicians; • Collecting signatures for support letters; • Conference of the patients; • Media relations programme – information about the event and the theme in general, press conference, publication of the support letter; • Event at the Children’s hospital; • Folding of the paper cranes at schools and delivering them to hospitals.

E X E C U T I O N

KA/Edelman executed all events fully. At the beginning a symbol-logo was created.

Public event at Esplanāde parkIn September 15, 2006, an information tent of the Leukaemia and Lymphoma was erected in Esplanade park in order to attract a wider society and media attention. All day long volunteers and members of the Association collected signatures for the support letters, people were invited to fold paper cranes, popular Latvian musicians participated without reimbursement: Gunārs Kalniņš, Andris Kivičs, Oskars Daņilovs, project UK, students of MarieN Studio, band Dzelzs Vilks.

Collection of signatures for the support letters 469 signatures were collected for the support letters during the event and several hundreds more afterwards. Each supporter signed his/her own copy of the letter.

Almost 700 letters were sent to decision making institutions responsible for the financing: Ministry of Health, State Compulsory Health Insurance Agency, and Commission of the government.

Each institution received 20-40 letters per week starting from September through January. In the beginning the origami cranes were added to the letters.

Participants of the Patients conference were the patients, NGO’s, media; topical issues were discussed.

Media relations programmeMedia relations programme consisted of several directions: • Informing about the event and the theme in general; • The climax of the press conference was the moment when representatives of the Association and professor Sandra Lejniece released the cranes of hope in Esplanāde park near the information tent (a photo moment for the media). • Open letter of support published in the biggest newspaper (Diena) one day before the event. Several days after the event a commentary was published on the news website Delfi.

Event in the Children Hospital In order to involve ill children and to attract extra media attention, artists visited Children Clinical University Hospital. Artist Jānis Annmanis and musicians of the band „Iedomu Spārni” folded paper cranes and drew pictures together with the children.

Folding of paper cranes in schools and delivering them to hospitalsTo make the event more emotional and to involve wider society, KA/Edelman involved several schools in folding paper cranes for the support of the patients. These cranes were threaded in a string and delivered to the Children Hospital and Linezers Clinic and hanged in the department, with a plate that informs about the event.

E V A L U A T I O N A N D R E S U L T S

Leukaemia and Lymphoma Day fulfilled its objectives – it addressed the patients, their relatives, decision makers, journalists and wider society, encouraging supporting leukaemia and lymphoma patients.

More than 1000 paper cranes were folded and more than 700 signatures for the support letters were collected during the event in Esplanāde park, at schools and Children Hospital. The letters were

afterwards sent to institutions.

Remarkable publicity in the mass media was achieved. More than 30 publications and stories in TV news broadcasts, on radio, in national and regional newspapers and internet websites. Increase in the number of new members of the Association has been observed since the event. Also the number of people who look for help has increased. Increase in the number of website www.leikemija.lv visitors.

The Ministry of Health adopted resolutions which increased the government financing for several significant directions of leukaemia and lymphoma treatment: 1) It was decided to reimburse the search of a donor for the patients who need stem cell transplantation. Total expenditures in 2007 could be 200.000 – 400.000 LVL (5000 – 10.000 LVL for one patient, there are approximately 40 patients). Previously patients had to cover these expenditures themselves. 2) The Ministry informs, that it is planned to double the financing for the treatment of oncologic diseases, which means positive changes for leukaemia and lymphoma patients. (Provisional calculations allow to conclude that the increase of the financing could be more than half a million Lats.) 3) Since 2007, new medicaments for these diagnoses are included in the list of reimbursed drugs. Also the list of indications when the treatment of leukaemia and lymphoma is to be reimbursed has been broadened.