C/Can 2025: City Cancer Challenge Report of the 3rd City Stakeholder Meeting Kumasi, Ghana, 25-26 July 2018
Members of the C/Can 2025 Technical Committee and City Executive Committee for Kumasi, Ghana, came together from 25-26 July at the 3rd City Stakeholder Meeting to present the findings from the needs assessment process, and discuss the priorities for improving access to quality cancer treatment in Kumasi. In parallel, meetings were organized in Accra and Kumasi with key government leaders and potential partners for the initiative.
Needs Assesment in Kumasi: Key findings On the 25th of July, members of the Technical Committee met to share the findings of the needs assessment for each of the disciplines in areas including pathology, laboratory medicine, haematology, radiology and nuclear medicine, medical oncology, radiotherapy, surgery, palliative care, training and education, quality of cancer care, management of oncology services, and community access subgroups. The Technical Committee Subgroup Coordinator delivered a presentation, based on the discussions and findings presented during the pre-analysis meetings held on 12- 13 of July. The aim was to reach unanimous consensus regarding the technical group conclusions and the final priority list to be presented at the Executive Committee meeting. Each presentation covered: a list of professionals and institutions that gathered information to complete the assessment; an overview of the situation at city-level including key challenges, and suggested priority actions to address these problems. In addition to the identification of barriers and priority actions in specific disciplines, several common issues emerged throughout the presentations and subsequent discussion:
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Lack of trained medical professionals and opportunities for training that negatively impact the quality of patient care;
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Insufficient and inadequate equipment and infrastructure for providing quality oncology services;
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Lack of harmonized cancer treatment guidelines and protocols as well as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs);
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Absence of a Comprehensive Cancer Care Center or dedicated units for cancer care.
A closer look on the shortage of human resources for cancer management in Kumasi Even though the shortage of trained human resources was the most prevalent problem in all areas of cancer care in the city; the most urgent need is in medical oncology. The city already has some trained radiotherapists and surgeons with experience in cancer surgery; but there are very few medical oncologists trained to provide chemotherapy. Training of medical oncologists should be considered as a priority. Similarly, there is a lack of trained nurses with training in chemotherapy, and there is a lack of proper safety protocols and safety gear in the city.and its relevance for patient safety. Specialised training of laboratory personnel and the development of a laboratory quality assurance programme, standardised procedures and reporting, would be important first steps in this regard.
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