Our Guest Blogger is Patty Montero, our MaxStation in Guatemala. Patty has worked in cancer control with us for many years and her experience is serving patients well by bringing groups together for social change.
In Guatemala, there are 14,200 new cases of cancer a year and from this amount 9,100 people die of cancer or 64.7%. Most of these diagnoses could have been prevented or better treated if diagnosed early. In Guatemala only the persons who have access to the national social security plan have free services and treatment, but poor quality and lack of medications or in most occasions. People who do not have social security have to pay for health services and for medications. As per statistics taken from Globocan 2008, the most common cancers in Guatemala are prostate, cervix, stomach, breast and lung cancers.
On February 4th, we celebrated the World Cancer Day in Guatemala. There were two events, one meeting of motivation for the cancer patients organized by Heroes de Esperanza, and also the launch for the media of the new “Guatemalan Union Against Cancer” “Union Guatemalteca Contra el Cancer” (UGCC).
The newly formed Union Guatemalteca Contra el Cancer (UGCC) is a coalition of 10 organizations which works against cancer in Guatemala. Through the years, the groups have met many times to get to know about each other’s work and came to understand that is better if we work together to advocate for the Guatemalan population to have access to early diagnostic, treatments, rehabilitation and palliative care against cancer.
Our goal is to continue working together to influence policy makers to give the proper attention and take action to overcome this problem. These organizations include activists, patients, survivors, physicians, relatives of patients and volunteers. Together is possible to create a lot of cancer awareness and programs designed to benefit many persons, patients, survivors, etc.
UGCC is working to strengthen the coalition and inviting other organizations to join, while learning to find the proper way to influence law makers to help in this cause. The coalition is also working to address the other problem of the poor cancer statistics, and it is necessary to design an action plan.
Thanks to the training received and events I have attended with The Max Foundation, I have been participating in this initiative. I am glad to have transmitted my experience and knowledge into this international framework.
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.
For the 20th anniversary of World Cancer Day, we asked our global team members, physicians, patients, caregivers, and advocates to share what progress in cancer care means to them. Progress means all cancer patients get the treatment they deserve.[/e World Cancer Day, celebrated on February 4, is a global initiative that aims to raise awareness….
Meet Fiorella from Chiclayo, Peru. With determination, a positive attitude, and support from her husband and parents, she’s been successfully managing her chronic myeloid leukemia for 20 years now. She’s also been able to start a family of her own. Fiorella’s story shows the power of the human spirit and the importance of providing access….
The Indian subcontinent has always been characterized by the stoic inner strength of its population that has helped them overcome natural and man-made disasters that seem to always be lying in wait for them. Burdened by their large populations, poor economy and the inept administration of their largely unstable governments, it has fallen upon the people to come to their own rescue.
And it is not so different for their health either. Besides the share of debilitating infectious diseases, many are facing a rising incidence of non-communicable diseases, such as cancer. The challenges here go beyond funding. There is fear, denial, and the heavy burden of stigma.
