Peru Takes Steps Towards its Goal of Universal Health Care for Cancer Patients

A key objective of the review was to evaluate the progress made in cancer prevention and control since 2014 and identify the gaps that persist in delivering equitable and timely access to quality services for cancer diagnosis and treatment. “We will use the evidence collected as part of the imPACT Review to inform the new integrated plan for cancer prevention and control and build a strategy for mobilizing funds and strategic partners,” said Eric Ricardo Peña Sánchez, Peru’s Vice Minister of Public Health. As the government prepares its third multisectoral National Cancer Control Plan, its commitment to addressing the nation’s growing cancer burden is evident, particularly in three large areas located in the north, coastal south and central highlands of the country, known as macro-regions. 

Steps have already been taken to decentralize cancer management services in Peru, notably in these three macro-regions, enabling patients outside of the capital city to access services.  "The investments needed to achieve the objectives we have set ourselves are substantial,” explained Essy Milagros Maradiegue Chirinos, Executive Director of the Cancer Prevention and Control Directorate of the Ministry of Health (MINSA). “We will collaborate with donors and partners active in the sector to identify priorities and organize funds in an effective and rational manner," she added.

Several organizations are supporting Peru in its efforts to advance cancer care, notably MD Anderson Cancer Center, which participated in the mission with experts in cancer prevention, pathology, surgery and City Cancer Challenge (C/Can) which is supporting MINSA with resource mobilization and capacity building in the city of Arequipa.

According to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) representative Maureen Birmingham, the mission arrived at the most opportune moment for the country, considering that the current cancer control plan is nearing its completion. “There is a need for information and evidence to analyse the gaps that remain to ensure timely and quality access for the entire Peruvian population, achieving the principle of universal health access,” she said.

The imPACT Review team commended important improvements in cancer care over the past decade, including expansion of the regulatory and planning framework to cover cancer care, and an extension of free HPV vaccination coverage for all girls up to 18 years of age. 

Furthermore, the government has taken steps to strengthen information management in the country by establishing three population-based cancer registries, consolidating the National Cancer Registry with standardized hospital-based and population-based data and records, and ensuring specific budget allocations for surveillance, registry and research. The imPACT Review team’s recommendations were geared towards standardizing academic curricula as well as protocols and guidelines around screening, diagnosis, and treatment, to ensure the highest quality of service for patients. 

At the end of the mission, a participatory planning workshop was organised with more than 80 stakeholders from across the cancer control spectrum to validate findings and clarify the short-, medium- and long-term recommendations developed by the team of experts for improving cancer care and diagnosis in the country. Key findings from this workshop were subsequently presented to the Ministry of Health leadership and are expected to feed into the third National Cancer Control Plan currently under development in the country.

For more information about the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science, Technology and Applications and the Technical Cooperation Programme, click here.