Children’s Cancer Services in Tanzania

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Overview

A proposal in collaboration with the Children’s Cancer Services Partner Organization, Tumaini La Maisha, to expand psychosocial support, support clinical services, increase training, and increase public awareness of common childhood cancers in Tanzania.

Context

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as childhood cancer contribute significantly to deaths of children and have not received the attention they deserve.

In Tanzania, over the last eight years, international diagnostic, staging and treatment protocols and standards of care have been implemented, capacity has increased from 17 to more than 50 beds, and drug and nurse availability has dramatically improved. The results have been dramatic; from 2007 to early 2011 one year disease free survival rates for admitted children increased from around 12% to 60%.

Challenge

In Tanzania, improved survival rates has led to increased demand for services as medical staff in district hospitals, seeing that childhood cancer could be treated with a positive outcome, have referred more patients. In 2005 less than 100 new children were referred for cancer treatment; in 2015 the number of new patients is expected to reach over 500. Medical treatment. The Children’s Cancer Service at Muhimbili National Hospital aspires to offer care to all Tanzanian children with cancer, providing every child with treatment following international protocols in their Pediatric Oncology Centre and achieving survival rates of 85%, equal to survival rates in developed countries.

Solution

To lead the development of a consortium for childhood cancer in Tanzania by developing and funding a plan for comprehensive pediatric cancer care in Tanzania over the next 3-5 years.

Results

A proposal submitted and funded by ELMA for continuing and expanding pediatric cancer care over 3-5 years that included an analysis of the current situation and current efforts to address the situation, a logic model demonstrating outcomes, outputs, activities and inputs for the program, goals and objectives for the program, a work plan describing program activities accompanied by a Gantt Chart, a monitoring and evaluation plan, a sustainability plan, and a budget for the program.

Project Timeline

This project took four months to complete from kick-off meeting to presentation of final deliverables. Click the button below for a detailed timeline.

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