Cancer patients fleeing war zones punished as funding for care dwindles and hospitals are destroyed

A silent population of cancer patients living in conflict areas or displaced communities are going without treatment due to huge gaps in research and investment, experts have said at the World Cancer Congress in Geneva, Switzerland. Delays in treatment, diagnoses and access to healthcare centres due to the destruction wreaked by aerial bombardment have exposed the most vulnerable in society. “Africa has normalised conflicts and what we've seen unfortunately over the last a couple of years is health systems not working effectively, where patients will see six healthcare workers before a cancer diagnosis,” said Dr Miriam Mutebi, a consultant and breast surgical oncologist and assistant professor at Aga Khan University (AKU) Medical College in Nairobi, Kenya. “We have a lot of cancer care deserts in the Sahel area, so that has been the main focal point for improvement, as conflict has destroyed hospitals with cobalt machines that served millions of people,” said Dr Mutebi. “It really has to be a continental and a global initiative in thinking about this as a problem, irrespective of where you are in the world.”