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Expanding access to cancer care in sub-Saharan Africa

Cancer incidence and mortality are rising across sub-Saharan Africa, yet many health systems in the region don’t have the capacity needed for timely cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment.1,2 A shortage of health professionals trained in oncology is a significant contributor to delayed diagnosis, limited treatment availability and poor outcomes — especially for individuals who already face barriers to health care services.3

Expanding local expertise in oncology enables health systems to realize advances in cancer treatment and care for the people they serve. It can lead to better health outcomes, greater system efficiency and broader economic and social benefits.4

Go Together alliance

The Merck Foundation is supporting the Rutgers Global Health Institute (RGHI) Go Together alliance, a multi-country, multi-sectoral initiative led by health ministries that aims to improve access to high-quality cancer care by training health workers and addressing systemic barriers to care. The Foundation has committed $450,000 over three years (2025-2027) to support RGHI’s efforts to design and deliver tailored training programs that will help expand and strengthen the oncology workforce in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia. The Go Together alliance will also establish a joint platform for national and regional collaboration to exchange knowledge, share learnings and encourage the adoption of promising workforce development solutions.

References

  1. Ngwa, W., Addai, B. W., Adewole, I., Ainsworth, V., Alaro, J., Alatise, O. I., Ali, Z., Anderson, B. O., Anorlu, R., Avery, S., Barango, P., Bih, N., Booth, C. M., Brawley, O. W., Dangou, J. M., Denny, L., Dent, J., Elmore, S. N. C., Elzawawy, A., Gashumba, D., … Kerr, D. (2022). Cancer in sub-Saharan Africa: a Lancet Oncology Commission. The Lancet Oncology, 23(6), e251–e312. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00720-8
  2. Bray, F., Parkin, D. M., & African Cancer Registry Network (2022). Cancer in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020: a review of current estimates of the national burden, data gaps, and future needs. The Lancet. Oncology, 23(6), 719–728. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(22)00270-4
  3. Omotoso, O., Teibo, J. O., Atiba, F. A., Oladimeji, T., Paimo, O. K., Ataya, F. S., Batiha, G. E., & Alexiou, A. (2023). Addressing cancer care inequities in sub-Saharan Africa: current challenges and proposed solutions. International journal for equity in health, 22(1), 189. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-023-01962-y
  4. World Health Organization. (2016). Working for health and growth: Investing in the health workforce (Report of the High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth, ISBN 9789241511308). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241511308