Background and context: Mass medical mission is a nonprofit, public health charity aimed at complementing the effort of government in improving the health indices of Nigerians. Its core initiative is the National Cancer Prevention Program (NCPP), a foremost effort toward national cancer control in Nigeria. In 2007, NCPP spearheaded community-based mass cervical cancer screening in Nigeria, initially known as National Cervical Cancer Prevention Program (NCCPP). This effort has contributed to a 15% reduction of cervical cancer mortality in Nigeria, from 9659 deaths to 8240 deaths, between 2008 and 2012 (GLOBOCAN data). The improvement in cervical cancer survivorship in Nigeria was proof positive that winning the fight against cancer was possible if the effort could be scaled up. Consequently, mass medical mission escalated its advocacy drive, which was tagged the Big War Against Cancer in Nigeria. Aim: The short-term goal was to raise funds toward the provision one Mobile Cancer Centres (MCC) for each state and a Comprehensive Cancer Centre for each of the six geopolitical zones in the long-term. Strategy/Tactics: Mass medical mission initiated the establishment of a fundraising platform known as the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP-Nigeria). A private sector led initiative to promote concerted and synergistic philanthropy for the common good through public-social-private partnership. The President of Nigeria is the grand patron while the Vice President, the National Patron. Returns: Through this effort, four of the pilot set of MCC (known as PinkCruise) are now in Nigeria, one of which was donated by the Lagos State Governor. The fixed centers from which the PinkCruise operate have also been set up in four selected cities representing the four old regions of Nigeria. These mobile units are unique as they are multifunctional with state-of-the-art facilities for screening, follow-up and treatment (including mammography, endoscopy, colonoscopy, colposcopy, cryotherapy, laboratory, vaccination and surgeries for precancer and early cancer). The PinkCruise have been deployed to carry out systematic mobile health outreaches, known as Mission PinkCruise, which also have an eye-care aspect known as Mission PinkVISSION. PinkVISSION is also an initiative of mass medical mission (mmm), aimed at achieving the goals of “Vision 2020: The Right to Sight”, by incorporating preventive eye care into cancer prevention and general health promotion. The acronym, VISSION, stands for Voluntary Integrated Sight Saving Initiative Of Nigeria. Both Mission PinkCruise and Mission PinkVISSION are free of charge to the hosts and the beneficiaries. What was learned: The synergy between PinkVISSION and PinkCruise results in improved uptake, impact and cost effectiveness of both the cancer campaign and the eye campaign.
Advancing Cervical Cancer Prevention Initiatives in Resource-Constrained Settings: Insights from the Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in Zambia
