Bogota, 29 December 2022 (TDI): International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), World Health Organization (WHO), and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) expand Cancer Control in Colombia. The Ministry of Health is also supporting the cause.

The Global Cancer Observatory of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimates a 40% rise in cancer cases and deaths by 2030 in Colombia. Moreover, the rate is expected to be 50% by 2040.

imPACT Mission

imPACT mission is organized by the IAEA jointly with the WHO and PAHO. For the mission, a team of 11 cancer prevention and control specialists arrived in Colombia from various Latin America and Caribbean countries.

The interdisciplinary team traveled about 11,000 kilometers throughout the nation from November 21 to November 25.

Furthermore, the team stopped by eight public and eleven private hospitals and met with close to 100 local actors. It examined current racial and economic disparities in access to cancer treatment options.

In addition, the team met with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to discuss their results and recommendations.

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With the assistance of 21 national experts selected by Colombia’s Ministry of Health, the review experts also conducted interviews with health provider institutions and public health administrators at both the national and local levels covering the country’s five regions, beginning in July of this year.

Aim of imPACT Review

imPACT Reviews’ main goal is a participatory assessment of a country’s national healthcare system’s capabilities and requirements in cancer control.

Furthermore, Colombia launched Ten-Year Cancer Control Plan in 2012 based on the recommendations of the first imPACT review in 2011.

The Ministry of Health and Social Protection requested a thorough evaluation of the nation’s cancer control capabilities. A team of IAEA, WHO, and PAHO specialists led to the initiation of a follow-up imPACT review in November.

Governments and their partners can use imPACT Reviews to give a baseline situation analysis and recommendations to direct cancer control planning and investments.

In addition to this, the IAEA in its member nations has carried out over 100 imPACT Reviews since 2005.