AMREF Health Africa
AMREF Health Africa’s project, Ask4Cancer, will help reduce the incidence and mortality of breast and cervical cancers in remote Ethiopian communities. This project will integrate prevention measures into already existing services such as maternal, newborn and child health, TB/HIV and clinical outreach work.
Need
Breast and cervical cancers are major health concerns in Ethiopia, with incidence rates of 41.8% and 26.4%, respectively. A national effort has been underway to increase prevention and treatment, especially in disadvantaged communities. AMREF already has an established cervical cancer clinical outreach program in 14 hospitals across the country and its current Ask4Cancer project will be integrated into that program.
Project
AMREF’s newest project is titled “Access, Service and Knowledge for Women Cancer (Ask4 Cancer): Integration of Cervical and Breast Cancer Prevention into MNCH, TB/HIV and Clinical Outreach Services Packages in Three Regions of Ethiopia”. This project aims to decrease women’s morbidity and mortality from breast and cervical cancers in remote communities of Ethiopia.
This program will be implemented and monitored jointly through a public-private collaboration and will reach more than 1 million women in communities in Amhara, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Regions, and Afar.
Other important aspects of this program:
- Ask4Cancer will be integrated with all of the existing AMREF’s cervical cancer clinical outreach programs already in place at 14 hospitals and ENGAGE-TB programs.
- Twenty hospitals and health centers will be equipped with diagnosis and treatment kits for cervical and breast cancers.
- Counseling and education on cancer and TB will be conducted throughout communities in the three regions.
- Healthcare workers will receive training on active TB case investigation and on integrating TB with cervical and breast cancer, maternal newborn and child care, and HIV services packages.
Partners
- Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia
- World Health Organization
- Regional Health Bureaus
- Regional Women and Children’s Affairs Bureau
- Health Professional Societies
- AMREF Health Africa – Ethiopia