AstraZeneca launched an innovative cancer care Africa program which will help patients in Kenya gain better and more fair access to cancer care.
The UK Pharma launched Cancer Care Africa program in Nairobi in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, The Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology (KESHO), Axios, the National Cancer Institute of Kenya (NCI), and other partners to improve cancer care in Kenya.
According to AstraZeneca the program will be delivered through a co-creation approach which will foster collaboration among the oncology community with an aim of enhancing equitable access to treatment and outcomes across the patient care pathway, from diagnosis through to treatment and beyond.
In attendance during the launch of the program were, Nakhumicha S. Wafula EGH, Cabinet Secretary for Health, Kenya, Dr Elias Melly, CEO, National Cancer Institute of Kenya and Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice-President, Oncology Business Unit, AstraZeneca.
Cabinet Secretary for Health, Kenya, Susan Nakhumicha commended the initiative saying that the launch of the Cancer Care Africa program is a significant step towards improving cancer care for all.
“This collaborative initiative has the potential to significantly improve access to diagnosis, treatment, and care, ultimately saving lives and improving the well-being of Kenyans impacted by this disease, as well as their families and communities.”
While Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice-President, Oncology Business Unit, AstraZeneca, said that with an increasing number of patients being diagnosed with cancer in Kenya and across Africa in the coming decades, joint action to improve patient outcomes and safeguard health care systems for the future has never been more important.
The program will also enhance screening and diagnostics provision targeting one million people across lung, breast and prostate cancer.
“The Cancer Care Africa program will support early detection, increase timely diagnosis, and improve access to treatment options for patients across Kenya,” he said adding that “the program will focus on driving impact in lung, breast and prostate cancers through capacity building, early screening and diagnosis and patient empowerment.”
Cancer has become a major public health concern in Kenya and across Africa. Latest figures from the World Health Organization show there were 44,726 cancer cases and 29,317 cancer deaths in Kenya in 2022. This is set against a regional context that estimates 2.1 million new cases and 1.4 million deaths annually by 2040 across Africa.
Despite recent increases in resources invested in cancer, several critical barriers still hinder cancer care progress in Kenya with gaps ranging from lack of disease awareness, limited diagnostic capabilities, an absence of structured screening programs, and challenges in accessing treatment.
AstraZeneca also announced their committed to supporting more than 100 oncology centres and providing training for more than 10,000 healthcare professionals to improve quality of care delivered to patients across the continent.”
The program also aims at improving patient outcomes and reducing health system burden through acting early approaches.
It will also empower patients by addressing their needs through engagement with local patient advocacy groups (PAGs) to support increased disease awareness and informed patient decision-making.
“We will enhance the availability of critical cancer medicines by introducing flexible models that can provide access to our innovative treatments.”
Ahead of the launch, Cancer Care Africa donated ultrasound biopsy machines to seven hospitals across Kenya to enhance early prostate cancer diagnosis, as well as donating the country’s first biomarker testing machine for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations to Aga Khan University Hospital.
Launched in November 2002 at COP27 in Egypt, Cancer Care Africa is aiding countries across the continent to fight against cancer by advocating for policy changes to enhance screening and diagnostics, implementing health awareness and education programs to empower patients, as well as training physicians and healthcare workers and building their capacities, and striving to enable access to cancer medicines. With these pillars, Cancer Care Africa strives to improve outcomes for all individuals affected by the disease, irrespective of their demographic, geographic, or socio-economics status.
