Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/very-interesting-ministerial-roundtable...
Dear Meena,
Thank you for relating the powerful testimony from Kenya.
"She was diagnosed with HIV in the 90’s, which she survived.
After a few years, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer (late stage) requiring a hysterectomy, and she survived it.
After a few years, she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and is now surviving it with a colostomy (bag)."
Although she has been very unfortunate to have three potentially life-threatening diagnoses over the past 30 years, she has been fortunate to receive life-saving treatment before each disease became fatal.
At the end of her presentation she asked: "What will you do after this meeting towards eliminating cervical çancer?"
My response would be for us to stand together with WHO and partners to support the Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative:
https://www.who.int/initiatives/cervical-cancer-elimination-initiative
Each of us can play a part. What can HIFA do? The strength of HIFA is that it brings together more than 20,000 health workers, librarians, publishers, researchers, policymakers and patient advocates in 180 countries, all committed to the progressive realisation of a world where every person has access to the reliable healthcare information they need to protect their own health and the health of others. More specifically, a world where every person has access to the reliable healthcare information on cervical cancer that they need to prevent, diagnose and manage cervical cancer. HIFA supports in-depth discussions on a range of health topics, looking particularly at how to strengthen evidence-informed policy and practice, from the home through the health system.
We are currently in discussion with WHO to prepare a HIFA project on the elimination of cervical cancer. For more info on HIFA projects see: hifa.org/projects
We welcome expressions of interest from HIFA members, including offers of sponsorship. Organisations that sponsor £100+ are recognised as HIFA partners with benefits: hifa.org/partners
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org