We believe everyone, no matter where they live, deserves access to quality healthcare, said Caroline Roan, President, The Pfizer Foundation and Senior Vice President, Global Health & Social Impact, Pfizer Inc. Through this initiative, we are exploring and scaling new ways to help ensure women with breast cancer in Rwanda, Ghana, and Tanzania have equitable access to quality care. The Pfizer Foundation is proud to build on our longstanding collaborations with Jhpiego and Partners In Health to help improve health systems for underserved communities around the world.

More than 2.3 million patients were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 alone1,  and although the five-year survival rate in high-income countries exceeds 90 percent, it averages at just 40 percent in sub Saharan Africa2.  Women in low and middle-income countries are typically diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease3 and may face multiple barriers to care, including complex diagnostic processes at limited healthcare facilities, shortages of trained medical professionals, financial constraints, and social stigma. Additionally, even if diagnosed, women living with breast cancer in these countries can experience a six-month delay on average before starting treatment, a critical time when the disease can progress and become more deadly. 4,5

Funding provided will support Jhpiego and Partners In Health as they collaborate with ministers of health to address key barriers in timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. While the specific country programs will vary based on each context, three main approaches include:

Downstaging breast cancer diagnosis: Partners aim to ensure breast cancer is detected at earlier, more treatable stages by promoting community-based screening and education, enhancing and making diagnostic services more accessible at provincial and district-level facilities, and integrating screening into primary care services.
Accelerating access to treatment: In support of country-led efforts, Jhpiego and Partners In Health will collaborate with regional health systems to shorten the time between breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. This includes enhancing patient navigation and referral services and establishing satellite clinics to bring care closer to communities.
Driving global engagement and learning: Partners will also focus on implementation research and evidence generation to strengthen understanding of effective breast cancer interventions, inform future investments, and share learnings with the global breast cancer community.
While many women with breast cancer in wealthier countries have access to timely diagnostic care and treatment, far too many in sub-Saharan Africa face preventable loss due to barriers that delay access to routine cancer care, said Dr. Leslie Mancuso, President and CEO, Jhpiego. This partnership leverages our tools and expertise to provide care with dignity and hope, establishing a scalable model to close breast cancer care gaps wherever they persist.

Even when diagnostic technology for early-stage breast cancer is available in under-resourced settings like Rwanda, access still requires a woman to travel for hours often by foot and, if possible, by bus or motorcycle to reach a health facility that likely won’t have the tools or trained clinicians needed to treat her, said Dr. Sheila Davis, Chief Executive Officer, Partners In Health. This collaboration is changing that by bringing improved screening, diagnosis, and treatment directly to communities, impacting women’s health outcomes and transforming health systems at the same time.

Source : https://www.pfizer.com/news/announcements/pfizer-foundation-provides-15-million-investment-improve-breast-cancer-care-sub