By Alison Shamwana, Association Specialist, ACS Global Management Executive Director, IHPBA Foundation:
In May 2024, the IHPBA World Congress was, for the first time, hosted on the African continent. In order to leave a lasting footprint for the congress, our legacy initiative focused on the improvement of management pathways and access to care in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC).
Congress Legacy Declaration and White Paper:
The Legacy Declaration highlights alarming statistics, such as the region having the world’s highest incidence rates of HCC and a median survival of only 2.5 months post-diagnosis. It calls for urgent action to address chronic viral hepatitis, a major cause of HCC, and to improve vaccination, diagnosis, and treatment access.
Supporting this declaration is a comprehensive white paper titled “The Improvement of Management Pathways and Access to Care in Sub-Saharan Africa for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.” This document provides an in-depth analysis of the challenges and solutions for HCC in the region.
World Health Assembly:
The IHPBA Foundation has partnered with the International Federation of Surgical Colleges and Societies (IFSCS) to add hepatitis/HCC to the IFSCS advocacy programme at the WHO.
Dr Fanus Dreyer of IFSCS presented our concept paper to the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May 2024.
IHPBA and the IHPBA Foundation, together with our local and regional partners will continue to support these efforts, leaving a lasting legacy from the 2024 World Congress in the region.
