Closing the care gap where cancer cases are growing fastest
Maturin Tchoumi
Pharma International Area Head - Africa, Roche. Every day, I team up with partners to create value for patients.
These reflections were co-authored with my colleague Dr Allan Pamba , Africa Network Lead - Roche Diagnostics.
Between 2020 and 2040, cancer incidence and deaths are forecasted to rise fastest in Africa compared to other world regions. Here, in Africa, the cancer burden is projected to rise from 1.1 million cases and 711,429 deaths in 2020, to almost double in 2040.?For women in Africa, the cancer burden is particularly striking. Breast and cervical cancer rates are rising with disproportionately higher mortality rates than other areas of the world.
Yet health systems here are not equipped for this immense, and growing burden.?
To close the cancer care gap, we must address the persistent barriers that exist at each step of the patient journey, whether these include a lack of awareness, affordability challenges, geographic restrictions and/or weak infrastructure. The root causes behind each barrier are specific to the community and the country, so a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work.
At Roche, we’re working at a local level with communities and governments to tackle the particular challenges facing patients and healthcare systems throughout Africa. And for women’s cancers, in particular, we know have to understand and account for different experiences, challenges and circumstances that women face in everything we do, challenging the status quo so all women in African can benefit from innovation and medical advancements.
Healthcare systems need to change to better meet the demands of the cancer burden, and in order to better serve women, who face further inequities in their access to care. To support this change, we’re taking long-term, sustainable approaches to expand access to medicines and healthcare services, meaning partnership is at the heart of our work.
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That is why we want to take this opportunity to share some of the recent progress being made for cancer patients and for women’s cancers through such collaborative efforts:
To improve access and ultimately achieve better health for all, we must create and pilot models that are replicable and can be adapted and scaled in other countries. In all of this, the patient must be kept at the center so that the solutions we help drive forward with partners, are solving real needs and gaps.
As we embark on this ambitious journey to help drive change and build more equitable healthcare systems for all people and for women, we hope you will join us and share your story with us, so that your experience can help challenge us all to do more.
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Maturin Tchoumi and Dr Allan Pamba thank you for sharing the Africa experience and we continue seeking partnerships that impact patients and the health systems
Life Insurance - Analytics - Innovation
2 年Hope to see similar great effort taken in my country C?te d’Ivoire very soon. In a social environment where women are taught that pain and suffering are “normal”, institutions have a responsibility to do more towards women in regard to the whole roadmap from diagnosis to full recovery and really in the best world starting by prevention. Thanks Mr Tchoumi for sharing with us Roche’s engagement and actions.
System Shaper | Problem Solver | Leading Teams Who Transform Medicine | Mentor & Coach | Passionate about Advancing Women's Health
2 年Well said Maturin Tchoumi and Dr Allan Pamba. Look forward to continuing to collaborate to advance women’s health and close the care gap in Africa! ??