Rwanda implementing programs to prevent cancer

Dec 20 2012

In a Huffington Post "Impact" blog post, Tom Murphy, founder of the development blog "A View From The Cave," examines Rwanda's efforts to reduce cancer incidence by implementing screening programs for breast and cervical cancers and vaccinating girls and young women for human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer. Discussing the new programs, Minister of Health Agnes Bingawaho said, "We are a government that is evidence-based and result-oriented. ... We always go for a policy first -- the science in front of everything. We develop a strategy plan, followed by an implementation plan and then fundraise," according to Murphy. He discusses Rwandan President Paul Kagame's push for accountability within the government, the U.N. General Assembly's resolution recognizing non-communicable diseases as a global problem, and efforts by Merck and the GAVI Alliance to vaccinate more girls against HPV (12/18).