Readiness for Access to Breast Cancer Oncology Medicines in Paraguay

Drawing upon the 2020 data from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, a concerning number of 1,995 women in Paraguay are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, facing an average annual rise of 12%.

Unfortunately, the fragmented nature of the healthcare system results in a prolonged wait of approximately 35 days for these women to receive their diagnoses in the public healthcare system. 

Furthermore, the existing cancer care systems lack the essential services necessary to significantly enhance the survival rates for many of these patients. Immediate attention is particularly required in strengthening the medicines delivery system and patient database registry to address this pressing issue.

Oncology medicines rely on the assumption that there is basic cancer care infrastructure installed and optimal coordination of critical health services both essential for delivering quality cancer care.

However, insufficient human resources, basic infrastructure or technology, delays in establishing the right diagnosis, lack of coordination and treatment abandonment are common features in health systems in LMICs. Oncology medicines may become available but are likely to produce suboptimal results compared to health systems where the continuum of quality cancer care is guaranteed.

The Readiness Programme aims to strengthening the local  healthcare system through quality control processes and policies, infrastructure development, cancer care workforce training, and health information systems. The objective is to establish seamless, quality, and efficient care systems, thereby expediting diagnoses and enhancing accessibility to treatment for breast cancer patients.

This work lays the foundation to improve city readiness to make the most effective use of oncology medicines and, therefore actualise the health outcomes oncology medicines can produce in patients.

The initiative collaborates with five local institutions: the National Institute of Cancer (INCAN), the Clinic Hospital of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the National University of Asuncion (HC-UNA), the National Hospital of Itaugua (HNI), the San Pablo Women and Children’s Hospital (HSP), and the Central Laboratory of Anatomic Pathology.

Readiness for access involves the improvement of information systems and processes. This includes the implementation of patient tracking software, standardization of sample handling and reports, donation of medical supplies, facility renovations, provision of equipment, and the training of human resources.

This initiative is undertaken in collaboration with Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization, which provides essential logistical support to the program, facilitating the logistics and delivery of medicines. Direct Relief directly coordinates the medicines donation with the leading biotechnology company Amgen, with whom they have a long-standing collaboration.