Representatives of 15 African Member States came together in Nairobi, Kenya, from 11 to 13 February for the mid-term regional coordination meeting of the IAEA Technical Cooperation Project “Supporting comprehensive national cancer control.” During the three day meeting, participants and experts reviewed the progress made in the development of cancer control activities in participating Member States since the previous regional meeting in Dakar, Senegal in 2011.
In his opening address, Dr Willis Akhwale of the Kenya Ministry of Health acknowledged the efforts of the IAEA and World Health Organization (WHO) to support cancer control capacity building in low and middle countries. Dr Akhwale further highlighted the increasing burden of cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in many African countries. The burden of cancer in Africa is often exacerbated due to late presentations of cancer patients and a weak cancer diagnosis and treatment capacity.
In Kenya for example, radiotherapy treatment is available only in Nairobi, resulting in US $6.25 million spent yearly for travel and treatment of cancer patients abroad. On that basis and since 2011, Kenya health authorities are actively promoting cancer prevention and control. The need for a comprehensive approach to cancer control within a strategy for NCD prevention and control was emphasized by Dr Jean-Marie Dangou, cancer focal point at the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
The meeting concluded by acknowledging the need to prioritize cancer in the respective Member State’s health policies, and to continue developing and implementing National Cancer Control Programmes while ensuring human resource capacity building. Considering the often limited national health budgets, the development and submission of bankable documents was considered by several participants as one way forward for funding comprehensive cancer control programmes in IAEA Member States.