On November 1, 2019, the first shipment of treatment arrived at the hospital in Maputo, Mozambique. This is the first country Max Access Solutions, The Max Foundation’s patient-centered access model, has expanded into without a former access program in place.
“The Max Access Solutions provides hope in the form of innovative cancer treatment in neglected regions of the world,” says Pat Garcia-Gonzalez, CEO of The Max Foundation. “Today we reached a new frontier and I am deeply grateful to all who made it possible.”
In the beginning of 2018, Cathy Scheepers, The Max Foundation’s Region Head of Africa & Middle East visited the hospital in Maputo and learned of over 100 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients who were unable to access treatment. The only way patients could access treatment was to travel to South Africa, a challenging day of travel. Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world, and for the majority of people living there, traveling to find treatment was simply not an option.
“Over 100 patients who have had a five-year life expectancy now have access to live normal lives.” says Cathy. “We’re changing not only the physician and patient perspectives, but also the broader community perspective that cancer is not always a death sentence. There is hope if you have access to treatment.”
Thank you to all who made access to treatment in Mozambique a reality: the passionate donors, physicians in Maputo, Humanitarian PACT partner Novartis, advisors, and The Max Foundation’s global team members. Everyone involved worked tirelessly to expand the scope of Max Access Solutions into the hands of those awaiting treatment, and now, patients have the chance to spend more days with their families, communities, and loved ones.
The Max Foundation is a leading global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 28 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring life-extending treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. Max believes in a world where all people can access high-impact medicines, where geography is not destiny, and where everyone can strive for health with dignity and with hope.
Hyderabad, India– The Max Foundation (Max) and Friends of Max (FOM) proudly announce the formalization of their long standing collaboration supporting people living with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) in India. The two organizations signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the recent Friends of Max 2015 Leadership Summit attended….
Three women diagnosed with HER2- HR+ advanced breast cancer in Mozambique have begun treatment, with efforts underway to open access in eight additional countries The Max Foundation leading initiative through its Humanitarian Partnership for Access to Critical Treatments (Humanitarian PACT) with the goal of increasing access to treatment, care, and support at no cost to….
Earlier this month, The Max Foundation celebrated the delivery of 110 BCR-ABL molecular tests to Mercy Medical Center Cambodia. The delivery was the first of its kind for Max, made possible through our 2018 Diagnostics Solidarity Fund. Two more deliveries – one to Kyrgyzstan and one to Bolivia – are in process now, and we’re hopeful there will be many more to come.
