The IAEA marked World Cancer Day on 1 February with a livestreamed event involving IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. They were joined by Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, Ministers of Health in Malawi, and Karina Rando, Minister of Health in Uruguay. Raul Doria, the Head of Paraguay’s National Cancer Institute, also joined the high-level conversation.
Three-time cancer survivor and singer/songwriter Bianca Muñiz also spoke, giving her personal perspective on the complexities of cancer care.
The event helped raise awareness of the IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative and how it is helping countries such as Malawi, Paraguay and Uruguay to tackle an increasing cancer burden by widening access to cancer care. The Ministers of Health of Malawi and Uruguay shared how progress is being made towards new cancer care facilities in their countries. Malawi is one of seven first wave Rays of Hope countries. Uruguay, which has a long history of cancer screening and focusing on early detection of cancer, will soon receive mammography machines and a linear accelerator through the IAEA’s cancer initiative.
The two-day programme organized by the IAEA, is being held to take stock of progress so far under the IAEA’s flagship initiative Rays of Hope: Cancer Care for All, launched on World Cancer Day in 2022 jointly with the then President of Senegal and of the African Union Macky Sall.
Following the livestreamed event, sessions on Donors' Perspective, Preparing Strategic Funding Documents for Resource Mobilization at the National Level, and Partnerships for Hope sought to address cancer care funding issues and deepen new funding avenues, including with development banks and the private sector.
Through partnerships with governments, international financial institutions and the private sector, Rays of Hope is helping to increase access to life saving radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging services used in cancer care, focusing on low- and middle- income countries where the need is greatest.
In high-income countries, nearly all patients have access to radiotherapy, but in middle-income countries, however, fewer than 60 percent do. In low-income countries, the figure drops to just one in ten — only ten per cent of cancer patients have access to this life-saving treatment.
Cancer already accounts for one in every six deaths worldwide, and according to estimates from the IARC, the number of global cancer cases is expected to grow significantly in the next two decades, increasing the burden on countries with limited or no access to cancer care.
The Rays of Hope initiative builds on the IAEA’s six decades of experience in working with partners such as the WHO to help countries fight cancer.
