Kumasi City Cancer Project: Milestone initiative brings hope
A significant development at the 2017 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, was the launch of the City Cancer Challenge Foundation (C/Can) by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
Cancer has been declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a growing global health threat, and therefore, the C/Can was initiated to support cities around the world to improve access to equitable, quality cancer care.
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The foundation also leads a city-based partnership initiative that aims to improve access to quality cancer care in cities around the world by transforming the way stakeholders from the public and private sectors collectively design, plan and implement cancer solutions.
This approach is built on the core principle that cities can drive impact at national level by crafting data-driven solutions with the support of a network of global, regional, and local partners that reflect an understanding of the unique local context.
Kumasi, first
Kumasi was the first African city to be selected to join C/Can at the beginning of 2018. Since then, the vibrant city of four million inhabitants has successfully mobilised a multi-sectoral group of stakeholders, made up of over 258 healthcare professionals and 53 patients from 32 public and private institutions who have contributed data as part of a comprehensive assessment of cancer care needs.
The Kumasi City Cancer project has the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as patron, with support from the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo.
The engagement process in Kumasi has been led by the City Executive Committee, a multi-sectoral body composed of the Minister of Health, Director General of Ghana Health Service, the Manhyia Traditional Authority, the Ashanti Regional Minister, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of Kumasi, hospital CEOs and heads of departments, the non-communicable disease (NCD) Programme Manager and Representative of cancer patients survivor groups.
The city of Kumasi is represented at, and chairs the C/Can City Executive Committee and has demonstrated leadership and commitment to the initiative since the beginning of activities in 2018 by leading the planning of the C/Can projects in the city.
Progress
The C/Can engagement process in Kumasi has empowered local leaders and decision-makers to identify, design and implement priority actions to improve equitable access to quality cancer care through a multi-sectoral and patient-centred approach.
With the support of a city manager, a data capture specialist and the C/Can global team, the City Executive Committee has overseen the completion of a comprehensive needs assessment and the development of a City Activity Plan to improve access to quality cancer care in the city.
In March 2019, C/Can, with the endorsement of the City Executive Committee, prioritised eight technical assistance projects and six collaboration and coordination projects for implementation.
These are designed to improve the access to quality cancer care in Kumasi.
The technical assistance projects are at different stages of implementation as indicated in the following:
Cancer Day celebration
In 2018, the MCE of Kumasi, Mr Osei Assibey Antwi, extended an invitation to Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, who was the then President of the Union of International Cancer Control to Kumasi for the World Cancer Day celebration.
Princess Dina was welcomed to Ghana by Mrs Akufo-Addo, who joined her to Kumasi to be received by Otumfuo Osei Tutu and his wife, Lady Julia Osei Tutu, on February 4, 2018, which was the World Cancer Day.
Joined by the Minister of Health and the Kumasi C/Can city executive committee among other dignitaries, the day was commemorated with an official ceremonial event hosted by Dr Beatrice Wiafe-Addai, the CEO of Breast Care International, followed by a visit to the various hospitals providing cancer care services in Kumasi and climaxed with the lightening of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s statue at the airport roundabout to signify awareness of cancers.
Again, in 2019, the Kumasi City Executive Committee, with the support from the Manhyia Traditional Authority and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, celebrated the World Cancer Day with a walk in Kumasi to highlight the awareness of the disease.
Plans for the 2020 celebration were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic but has not halted the work of the teams in Kumasi which is currently ongoing.
Ongoing projects
A team of technical experts in various fields of work in the cancer care continuum have come together under the Kumasi C/Can initiative to design development plans in the Pathology, Radiotherapy, Palliative Care, Surgery, Medical Oncology and Radiology for Kumasi.
Pending the review and ultimate approval of the Kumasi City Executive Committee, the development plans will in the beginning of 2022, be implemented to improve on cancer care services in Kumasi.
To complement the efforts at the local level, C/Can through their partnership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has selected a team of experts who joined health professionals in Kumasi with the support of their colleagues in Accra to develop comprehensive guidelines for the management of breast and cervical cancers in Kumasi and ultimately, the country as a whole.
This will serve as the standard for which reference will be made in the management of breast and cervical cancers in the country.
The developed guidelines will in due course be shared with the Ministry of Health for the necessary review process to be completed before circulating it for use among all facilities providing cancer care in the country.
International consultations are being planned with the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Africa Palliative Care Association (APCA) and international organisations to support the health professionals in Kumasi.
A specific area lacking in Kumasi and indeed the country as a whole is palliative care services, and in this area, a group of specialists are being supported by the C/Can initiative in a course with the WHO to formally establish and strengthen palliative care services in Kumasi with lessons to be shared for a national implementation.
Cancer registry
Following the relocation of the Kumasi Cancer Registry to a new location in the KMA’s department of waste management, an official correspondence has been drafted by the MCE’s office to the cancer registry project manager.
A conference room has been furnished and has already hosted city review meetings with others lined up in coming weeks.
The MCE who is the chairperson of the Executive Committee relaunched the cancer registry office and other operations.