In rural Malawi, a groundbreaking training program is empowering women with the knowledge to detect breast cancer early, marking a significant step towards reducing the disease’s impact. Breast cancer remains a substantial health challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa, often diagnosed at advanced stages due to limited access to timely diagnosis and treatment.
Malawi, where breast cancer ranks as the third most prevalent cancer among women, grapples with alarmingly low survival rates post-diagnosis, with fewer than ten percent of patients surviving beyond 18 months, as reported by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Addressing this critical issue is a novel initiative spearheaded by the Royal College’s Institute of Global Surgery—a project that aims to equip frontline health workers with the skills necessary to tackle this formidable challenge. Recently, more than 40 healthcare practitioners successfully completed an intensive three-day breast health course—the first of its kind in the nation.
Dubbed “Akazi,” which translates to “women” in the widely spoken local language, Chichewa, the project comprises three key components: a national breast care assessment, bolstering services in rural clinics, and enhancing healthcare provisions in district and central hospitals.
The comprehensive training program empowers healthcare providers serving rural communities with the expertise needed for early breast cancer detection and the assessment of women displaying breast cancer symptoms.
Chipiliro Ngolombe, the nurse in charge at Chimembe Health Centre in Blantyre, shared the positive impact of the training: “When we went through this course, we started giving health talks on breast cancer beside antenatal and others. At first, we didn’t have services because of the knowledge deficit. What we knew is what we were taught in school. But now, five of our clinicians and nurses have been trained as well as informing men and women about the disease.”
Ngolombe further emphasized that community leaders, including chiefs and clergy members, have been actively mobilized to raise awareness about breast cancer. “Now, almost 24,000 people in the hospital’s catchment area know the symptoms of the disease and are coming in large numbers when they suspect any anomaly,” he noted.
Although there was initial hesitancy, a growing number of individuals are seeking medical attention, and those diagnosed with breast cancer are promptly referred to major hospitals for further treatment, Ngolombe added. This initiative holds the promise of not only reducing the burden of breast cancer in Malawi but also serving as a model for addressing similar challenges across the continent.
