Alleviating the Global Burden of Cancer: A Multidisciplinary Task
As a malignant non-communicable disease, cancer affects people in different ways. I believe that all people have the power to act to alleviate the impact that cancer has on individuals, families and communities.
According to the World Health Organization(WHO), cancers are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality around the world. A 2012 report suggested that there were 14 million new cases of cancer that year, resulting in 8.2 million deaths. Thirty percent of these deaths could be attributed to behavioral and dietary risks such as high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use and alcohol use. Current statistics suggests that over 60 percent of world’s total new annual cancer cases occur in Africa, Asia, Central and South America. Additionally, reports highlight that the global economic loss due to cancer is rapidly increasing.
I am currently serving as a Global Health Corps (GHC) fellow at the only referral center for cancer care in Rwanda. The center is located in Butaro, Burera District, and is run by Partners In Health (PIH) in collaboration with the Rwanda Ministry of Health and other partners. Since its opening in 2012, people from various countries in the region have flocked there to benefit from free cancer treatments. The unique care offered by Butaro Hospital in this region goes a long way towards alleviating the global burden of cancer in this part of the world.
When I came to Butaro for the first time, I was surprised to see and hear such loud voices of patients! There was a large crowd of patients in the waiting area, some sitting on benches, others standing in front of the hospital’s reception. Hundreds of patients come from all over the country and around the region of East Africa to receive care at Butaro Hospital. I started wondering, “Can I provide a reasonable contribution to help these people?”
In my role, I am working to provide technical support to the pharmacy team, with the goal of improving the supply chains for non-communicable disease medication, including medicines for cancer.
I started wondering, “Can I provide a reasonable contribution to help these people?”
As a GHC fellow working for PIH in Rwanda, I strongly believe that everyone has a role to play in advancing social justice through the health equity movement. Indeed, people from different backgrounds can work together to contribute towards alleviating the global burden for cancer.
I have been working in supply chain management to ensure availability and appropriate use of oncology medications at Butaro, alongside oncology physicians and nurses who provide care for cancer patients. We share one main goal: to achieve optimal care for our patients.
Beyond the health care providers whose daily responsibility is to care for oncology patients, there are many others whose work contributes to the care of these patients, including dedicated engineers and architects who design and implement advanced models for cancer care facilities.
How do we value the role played by policy makers, program managers, information technologists, financial analysts and logisticians in facilitating the work done for cancer care? What about the role of social workers and nutritionists in addressing needs not only for patients but also for healthy individuals? We also need to recognize the role played by public health workers and educators who sensitize the public on prevention measures.
It’s also important to remember the social justice and health equity angle to cancer care: everybody should have access to this critical treatment, regardless of level of literacy, origin, age, social or religious orientation.
In Butaro, World Cancer Day was a real opportunity to spread the message that cancer is treatable. Despite being among the leading causes of death, and requiring expensive treatment interventions, during our orientation session to Butaro, I and other GHC fellows saw how people benefited from treatment that saved their lives. Furthermore, I met a woman who had been on a cancer treatment for three years, before which she had eightmonths of infusion therapy. Before beginning treatment at Butaro, she was seriously ill. Now she is doing well and happy to be living a dignified live. Meeting this woman and other patients helped us stay motivated and proud of our work.
I believe that it is critical for everyone to understand that cancer care is a multidisciplinary task. It’s also important to remember the social justice and health equity angle to cancer care: everybody should have access to this critical treatment, regardless of level of literacy, origin, age, social or religious orientation.
Together we achieve more!
