APAC Women's Cancer Coalition

Here is part 2 of the top opportunities for improvement in Vietnam as stated in our impact report published by The Economist titled ‘Impact and Opportunity: The Case of Investing in Women’s Cancer in Asia Pacific’. The third opportunity for improvement in Vietnam is to roll out organized, population-based national screening programs in line with WHO recommendations: - For cervical cancer, screening through HPV DNA testing is the recommended primary screening tool in all settings due to its high sensitivity, and the country would do well to transition away from using cytology, in line with recommendations by the WHO. Additionally, HPV self-sampling could be introduced as an option, especially for women living in rural or hard-to-reach areas. -An organized, population-based screening program could be introduced, including mammography screening for high-risk women. Raising awareness of women in the community and improving the knowledge of health-care providers in primary care would also help ensure the right women are targeted and diagnosed early. The next opportunity for improvement in Vietnam is to invest in the country’s infrastructure and workforce capacity and increase and expand access to advanced therapies: - A study from 2010 found that 10 out of 63 provincial hospitals in Vietnam were unable to provide services for patients with cancer meaning the healthcare system with its limited resources cannot meet the demand for cancer services in Vietnam. - There is a need for capacity building at the lower levels of the health system to ensure cervical and breast cancer patients are sufficiently supported. There is also a need to increase care capacity through acceleration and expansion of specialist education. - Challenges are faced when accessing more advanced therapies for which there is only partial reimbursement. Vietnam also faces obstacles when it comes to registration and reimbursement approvals for new drugs for more advanced treatment compared to surrounding countries, where there is room for improvement to enable more patients to have access. The final opportunity for improvement in Vietnam is to embark on systematic collaboration with patient organizations, including on the development of National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) and clinical guidelines for both breast and cervical cancer: - While civil society organizations in Vietnam run several community-based outreach service programs for women’s cancers, there is a lack of government run initiatives and collaboration. Additionally, independent patient organizations are not involved in the development of NCCPs and clinical guidelines, which means an important voice is missing. Stay tuned for our next post to learn about the top opportunities for improvement in other countries in the APAC region. Jhpiego Roche TogetHER for Health CAPED India Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC) #APACWomensCancerCoalition #CervicalCancer #WomensHealth

As we continue our series of highlighting top opportunities as stated in our impact report published by The Economist titled ‘Impact and Opportunity: The Case of Investing in Women’s Cancer in Asia Pacific’, the next country we will be showcasing is Vietnam. The top opportunities for improvement in Vietnam include introducing implementation and surveillance plans within the dedicated national elimination plan for cervical cancer and introduce a national strategy for breast cancer in line with World Health Organization (WHO) ambitions and targets: - Vietnam has a National Action Plan on Prevention and Control of Cervical Cancer which has been in place since 2016. However, without surveillance systems in place to track interventions and activities and track progress on vaccination, screening and patient outcomes, it is difficult to monitor the effectiveness of this plan and know whether programs for cancer control are working. Long-term surveillance systems could be set up to track successes and suggest improvements. - To aid with the implementation of breast cancer policy, a national strategy for breast cancer could also be established, which would include specific targets and goals for screening, diagnosis and treatment. - More government priority could be given to women’s cancers as key policy areas, by expanding the fiscal space for these cancers and including implementation and additional services under local budgets. - A national steering committee could be established to operationalize inter-governmental ministry coordination to help drive the national elimination plan for cervical cancer and the national strategy for breast cancer. The next opportunity for improvement in Vietnam would be to establish a national Human Papillomavirus (HPV) immunization program for cervical cancer prevention: - Introducing HPV vaccination as part of Vietnam’s routine immunization program for girls aged 9-14 years (through a school-based program or community-based strategy) as soon as possible would help meet the WHO’s 2030 target of vaccinating 90% of girls by the age of 15 (it is currently scheduled for 2026). - Sufficient and affordable HPV vaccines will need to be secured, and international partnerships and support from global funders could be considered to help meet vaccination targets. - Monitoring systems and vaccination registers could be introduced to help ensure that high coverage for vaccination is met, as well as education and awareness programs on the importance of HPV vaccination for preventing cervical cancer to alleviate stigma. Stay tuned for our next post to learn about more top opportunities for improvement in Vietnam. Jhpiego Roche TogetHER for Health CAPED India Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC) #APACWomensCancerCoalition #CervicalCancer #WomensHealth

Dr. Shobha Krishnan, founder and president of GIAHC, recently participated in the groundbreaking US-India cancer dialogue in New Delhi. She highlighted the urgent need for knowledge exchange as cancer cases in India are projected to rise by nearly 13% by 2025. 🚨💉 Read more at: https://lnkd.in/egMXYgfK U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health (NPWH) INTERNATIONAL PAPILLOMAVIRUS SOCIETY - IPVS Sabin Vaccine Institute American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) TogetHER for Health CAPED India Vaccine Ambassadors Linda Eckert Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu HPV Cancers Alliance American Sexual Health Association

Here’s part 2 of top opportunities for improvement in Indonesia as stated in our impact report published by The Economist titled ‘Impact and Opportunity: The Case of Investing in Women’s Cancer in Asia Pacific’. The third opportunity for improvement in Indonesia would be to operationalize and roll out organized, population based national screening programs in line with WHO recommendations: - For cervical cancer, screening through HPV DNA testing is the recommended primary screening tool in all settings due to its high sensitivity, and the country would do well to transition away from using visual inspection under acetic acid (VIA), in line with recommendations by the WHO. - To increase uptake, consideration could be given to integrating screening with existing services such as family planning consultations or women’s health clinics, as this would also reduce transport costs and waiting time. - Additionally, HPV self-sampling could be introduced as an option, especially for women living in rural or hard-to-reach areas. The next opportunity for improvement in Indonesia would be to invest in the country’s infrastructure and workforce capacity and increase and expand access to therapies: - There is an urgent need to increase care capacity through acceleration and expansion of specialist education, and through improving the availability, accessibility and distribution of diagnostic services in geographically isolated and remote areas. - Indonesia currently spends 3.4% of GDP on health expenditure, compared to a global average of 9.8%, and therapies available in the public sector are limited to more basic treatment. There is room in Indonesia to expand access to diagnosis and advanced therapies and treatment through increased universal health care (UHC) coverage and reimbursement. - The country could work to identify and allocate alternative funding mechanisms beyond national health spending to sustain UHC, for instance through grants and targeted funding by global donors, development agencies, and multilateral banks. The final opportunity for improvement in Indonesia is to rollout national awareness campaigns for cervical cancer and breast cancer: - Programs could be integrated at a national level into primary health care settings, to expand their reach, educate the community and ensure higher coverage. - Patients should be at the heart of care, and there is also room in Indonesia to increase the involvement of patient groups in the development of clinical guidelines for both cancers to ensure the patient voice is heard. Stay tuned for our next post to learn about more top opportunities for improvement in other countries in the APAC region. Jhpiego Roche TogetHER for Health CAPED India Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC) #APACWomensCancerCoalition #CervicalCancer #WomensHealth

Continuing our series of highlighting top opportunities as stated in our impact report published by The Economist titled ‘Impact and Opportunity: The Case of Investing in Women’s Cancer in Asia Pacific’, the next country we will be showcasing is Indonesia. Top opportunities for improvement in Indonesia include introducing a dedicated national elimination plan for cervical cancer and a national strategy for breast cancer in line with World Health Organization (WHO) ambitions and targets: - To aid with the implementation of cancer policy, a national elimination plan for cervical cancer and a national strategy for breast cancer could be established, which include specific targets and goals for prevention (for cervical cancer), screening, diagnosis and treatment. - To support their development, help achieve elimination of cervical cancer and meet WHO numbers for breast cancer, more government priority could be given to women’s cancers as key policy areas, by expanding the fiscal space for these cancers and including implementation and additional services under local budgets. - A national steering committee could be established to operationalize inter-governmental ministry coordination to help drive the national elimination plan for cervical cancer and the national strategy for breast cancer. Another opportunity for improvement in Indonesia would be to expand the coverage of the nationwide human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization program for cervical cancer prevention: - Despite programs being in place, coverage of HPV vaccination is extremely low in Indonesia. Improving monitoring systems and implementing vaccination registers are critical for ensuring that high coverage for vaccination is met. - Education on the importance of HPV vaccination for preventing cervical cancer is also key to increasing uptake and alleviating stigma. Momentum will need to continue, to ensure that disruptions to cancer control programs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic do not prevent the expansion and scale-up of the HPV vaccination program across the country. Stay tuned for our next post to learn about more top opportunities for improvement in Indonesia. Jhpiego Roche TogetHER for Health CAPED India Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC) #APACWomensCancerCoalition #CervicalCancer #WomensHealth

Here is Part 2 of top opportunities for improvement in the Philippines as stated in our impact report published by The Economist titled ‘Impact and Opportunity: The Case of Investing in Women’s Cancer in Asia Pacific’. The third opportunity for improvement in the Philippines would be to roll out organized, population-based national screening programs in line with WHO recommendations: - Screening through HPV DNA testing is the recommended primary screening tool in all settings due to its high sensitivity, and the Philippines would do well to transition away from using visual inspection acetic acid (VIA) as the primary screening test, in line with recommendations by the WHO. - To increase uptake (which is at present the lowest compared to neighboring countries), active invitation to screening could be introduced in the form of an organized program, and consideration could be given to integrating screening with existing services such as family planning consultations or women’s health clinics, as this would also reduce transport costs and waiting time. - Additionally, HPV self-sampling could be introduced as an option, especially for women living in rural or hard-to-reach areas. Another opportunity for improvement in the Philippines would be to invest in the country’s infrastructure and workforce capacity and increase and expand access to therapies: - The Philippines currently spends 5.6% of GDP on health expenditure, compared to a global average of 9.8%, and therapies available in the public sector are limited to more basic treatment, with high out of pocket (OOP) costs for advanced treatments. - Despite evidence showing that newer targeted agents significantly improve survival rates, access to these drugs is lacking in the Philippines, with only one being approved and available in the country. - As the Philippines works to implement the new National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA), this could be seen as an opportunity to reduce the financial burden on cancer patients by expanding access under universal health coverage (UHC). - The country could work to identify and allocate alternative funding mechanisms beyond national health spending to sustain UHC, for instance through grants and targeted funding by global donors, development agencies, and multilateral banks. The final opportunity for improvement in the Philippines is to improve national awareness campaigns for breast and cervical cancer: - Education and awareness programs for women’s cancers could be integrated into primary health care settings, with national-level campaigns and activities organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Stay tuned for our next post to learn about opportunities for improvement covering more countries in the region. Jhpiego Roche TogetHER for Health CAPED India Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC) #APACWomensCancerCoalition #CervicalCancer #WomensHealth

Last year, The Economist in support with Roche and the APAC Women's Cancer Coalition’s published an impact report titled ‘Impact and Opportunity: The Case of Investing in Women’s Cancer in Asia Pacific’. We recently concluded our first in-country discussion of the year in the Philippines and here are some top opportunities for improvement in the Philippines as stated in our impact report published by The Economist. The first opportunity for improvement in the Philippines would be to introduce a dedicated national elimination plan for cervical cancer in line with World Health Organization (WHO) ambitions and targets: - A national elimination plan would mean increased government priority given to women’s cancers as key policy areas by expanding the fiscal space for cervical cancer and including implementation and additional services under local budgets. - A national steering committee could be also established to operationalize inter-governmental ministry coordination to help drive the national elimination plan for cervical cancer. Another opportunity for improvement in the Philippines would be to implement national and accessible digital registries for cancer: - The Philippines does not have a national population-based cancer registry, and instead relies on data from smaller registries to monitor and evaluate programmes on cancer prevention, detection and control, which have extremely limited coverage. - Cancer-specific registries which also track women’s history of immunization and screening will also be critical for ensuring that coverage is met, to improve follow-up, to help study the burden, and to capture data which would improve programmes and services. Stay tuned for our next post to learn about more opportunities in the Philippines as well as future posts covering opportunities for improvement covering more countries in the region. Jhpiego Roche TogetHER for Health CAPED India Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC) #APACWomensCancerCoalition #CervicalCancer #WomensHealth

The APAC Women's Cancer Coalition, in collaboration with Cancer Coalition Philippines and Jhpiego, hosted its first in-country discussion of the year: "Addressing the Gaps to Cervical Cancer Elimination in the Philippines" on May 17. We would like to express our gratitude once again to the amazing speakers and attendees who participated in this event, coming together to emphasize the need of a national elimination plan for cervical cancer in the Philippines. For those who missed out on the event and to those who would like to look back on this event, we are happy to share an executive summary of the event attached here. The executive summary includes key notes and takeaways from speeches, presentations and panel discussions featured during the event. The APAC Women’s Cancer Coalition is grateful for your support and please stay tuned for updates regarding our upcoming events for this year!   Jhpiego Roche CAPED India TogetHER for Health Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC)   #APACWomensCancerCoalition #CervicalCancer #WomensHealth

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝑠 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵."   Reflecting on our recent forum in collaboration with Cancer Coalition Philippines and Jhpiego, "Addressing the Gaps to Cervical Cancer Elimination in the Philippines," it's clear that achieving substantial progress requires a unified approach across multiple sectors. In a powerful op-ed, Victor Andres 'Dindo' Manhit, Managing Director at BowerGroupAsia Philippines and Founder/Managing Director of Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute ADR Institute, addresses a critical juncture in the fight against cervical cancer.   Join us as we continue our efforts through impactful and meaningful discussions across the Asia Pacific region, pushing forward towards eradicating cervical cancer. Read the full Op-ed here: https://lnkd.in/gkB_CTg5 Jhpiego Roche CAPED India TogetHER for Health #APACWomensCancerCoalition #CervicalCancer #WomensHealth

Reflecting on a Milestone Event! On May 17, the APAC Women's Cancer Coalition, in collaboration with Cancer Coalition Philippines and Jhpiego, hosted its first in-country discussion of the year: "Addressing the Gaps to Cervical Cancer Elimination in the Philippines". 🇵🇭 We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to bring together top policymakers, experts, and advocates to emphasize the need of a national elimination plan for cervical cancer and the importance of sustainable resources for its implementation. Our speakers shared the importance of consistent multi-stakeholder collaboration, the significant role of local government in ensuring sustainability, and developments from PhilHealth and Health Technology Assessment regarding cervical cancer vaccination, screening, and treatment initiatives. Moving forward, the Coalition remains committed to collaborating with our participants to advance women's health in the Philippines. Stay tuned as we continue our efforts with more town hall discussions across the Asia Pacific region, aiming for better cervical cancer care. Jhpiego Roche CAPED India TogetHER for Health #APACWomensCancerCoalition #CervicalCancer #WomensHealth