| Abstract [eng] |
The Master Thesis focuses on the implementation of social policy when addressing the needs of cancer patients. Scientific studies usually discuss the measures of medical politics intended for cancer patients. The implementation of social policy when addressing the needs of cancer patients is less analyzed in both Lithuanian and foreign scientific studies. The goal of the study is to reveal the implementation of social policy when addressing the needs of cancer patients. The research object is the implementation of social policy when addressing the needs of cancer patients. The following three research objectives were formulated to reach the goal of the study: to reveal the theoretical concept of implementation of social policy in a welfare state based on scientific literature analysis; to identify the needs of cancer patients in terms of theoretical aspects; to carry out the content analysis of social policy implementation documents that ensure the needs of cancer patients. The Law on Social Services of the Republic of Lithuania plays and important role in implementing the social policy ensuring the needs of cancer patients. According to the provisions of the said Law, social services are perceived as services that are rendered to assist an individual (or a family) who has lost, has failed to acquire or has little to no skills or possibilities to take care of himself (his family) and participate in social life due to age, disability, social risk or social problems. The goal of such social services is to ensure the conditions for the individual (family) to develop and improve the skills or possibilities to independently solve own social problems, to maintain social relations with the society and to overcome social exclusion. The study employs an analysis of scientific literature, legal norms and documents, an interview and a survey in writing. The application of these methods yields detailed and comprehensive information, revealing the implementation of social policy in ensuring the needs of cancer patients. The respondents of the qualitative research (i.e., semi-structured interview and survey in writing) were representatives of NGOs. All respondents were female. The analysis of scientific literature and documents revealed that social policy was perceived as the entirety of measures and political actions aimed at attaining social welfare. The implementation of social policy in ensuring the needs of cancer patients was based on the broader perception of social policy which complied with the European tradition, i.e., encompassed social security (social insurance, services and support), work policy and accommodation issues. State institutions (e.g., ministries), non-profit institutions and for-profit organizations rendering social services formulate, implement and improve social policy that affects the society and its individual members. Civil servants that have desk jobs or public positions of political trust in state institutions and non-governmental organizations offer, implement, improve, develop and publicly announce the implemented social policy. Social policy in Lithuania is implemented by state institutions on a variety of levels, e.g., local, state or national. The qualitative research (interview and survey in writing) and content analysis revealed that cancer patients had a large variety of needs. Cancer is a health condition affecting the entire human body and associated with physical, spiritual, existential, financial, informational and other needs. The paper is comprised of the abstract, list of tables, list of figures, introduction, theoretical part, research methods, research results, conclusions, recommendations and references. |
