This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information on World Cancer Day, 4 February 2019.
World Cancer Day, 4 February 2019 (291 KB , PDF)
World Cancer Day has been marked annually on 4 February since 2000. It was established by the Paris Charter adopted at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium that year. The day’s focus is on reducing preventable deaths from cancer through education, raising awareness and by urging governments and individuals across the world to take action. The World Health Organisation has stated that 9.6 million people worldwide are estimated to have died of cancer in 2018. The theme for World Cancer Day 2019 is ‘I Am and I Will’, a call for individual action to reduce the behaviours and risk factors, such as obesity and tobacco consumption, that contribute to a third of preventable cancer cases.
World Cancer Day, 4 February 2019 (291 KB , PDF)
Highlighting the human and economic costs of accidents, and rising rates of accidental deaths in the UK, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has called for the government to create a national accident prevention strategy. RoSPA argues that currently, responsibility for accident prevention is too fragmented. The government has not yet commented on this proposal.
In recent years, resident doctors (formerly known as junior doctors) have faced increased competition for specialty training roles. Doctors can apply for specialty training after completing two years of foundation placements. While NHS England is in the process of reviewing postgraduate training for medics, the government’s new 10 year plan for the NHS has pledged to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant NHS experience for specialty training. The plan also included an ambition to create more specialist posts.
The Still-Birth (Definition) Bill [HL] would amend the legal definition of stillbirth in England and Wales to apply from 20 weeks into a pregnancy, rather than the current 24 weeks. It is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 4 July 2025.
![Still-Birth (Definition) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 39 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/paolo-nicolello-KY6NHtBWJB8-unsplash-1-568x320.jpg)