Financing Cancer Centres in Low and Middle Income Countries. Chapter 8

Cancer control remains severely underfunded in LMICs. This is in sharp contrast to the significant cancer burden faced by these countries, especially since this burden is predicted to increase. Seeking adequate funding is imperative. Over the past decades, several organizations, including the WHO and the IAEA, have championed the case for combating the global cancer burden. This has led to increased importance being placed on cancer in the global health agenda. However, funding prioritization has not aligned accordingly, and challenges remain for financing cancer control in LMICs. For cancer control, external funding is often provided for the construction of cancer centres, procurement of equipment, capacity building of human resources and establishment of safety and security infrastructure. It has traditionally been delivered in the form of grants, loans or in-kind support from donor countries, international financial institutions and the private sectors. This is often coupled with domestic resource mobilization efforts. Comprehensive data are not yet available to demonstrate whether the traditional approaches to funding have achieved an effective and sustainable outcome on meeting a country's needs. However, innovative financing for cancer care and strong commitment from national governments in prioritizing cancer care in national policy show promising signs for addressing the funding needs in the future.