1. Dr. Aziza Shad, Medical Director, The Aslan Project
The Building of a Sustainable Pediatric Cancer Health System in Ethiopia
Dr. Aziza Shad, Medical Director, The Aslan Project
September 23, 2017
9th Annual Ethio-American Health Care & Medical Education Conference

2. Why Invest in Pediatric Cancer? MOST CHILDHOOD CANCERS IN LICs
ARE CURABLE…
Survival rates > 80% for children with cancer in
high-resource countries
Why Invest
in Pediatric Cancer?
…AT LOW COST TO THE SYSTEM…
Using simple protocols and generic drugs <$1,000
…AND SAVE SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIVE YEARS.
An average of 71 productive years, benefiting families, communities, nations and the world

3. Building Blocks of A Pediatric Cancer Infrastructure:
The Aslan Project Approach

4. Building Blocks of Pediatric Cancer Infrastructure
Early and Accurate Diagnoses
Effective Service Delivery
Access to Essential Medicines, Resources & Health Information Systems
Pediatric Oncology Units (Centers of Excellence)
Stewardship Philanthropy & Advocacy

5. Early & Accurate Diagnoses
Community Awareness
Timely Referral
Accurate Diagnoses
Pathologists trained in oncology-related testing/diagnoses
Availability of necessary technologies and equipment
Reagents
Microscopes/IPath
Flow cytometry
Early & Accurate Diagnoses

6. Effective Service Delivery
Human Resource Development
Palliative Care
Parent and Family Support

7. Human Resource Development
Sufficient capacity in all specialty areas that support pediatric cancer care
Pediatric hematology/oncologists
Pathologists
Pediatric surgeons
Radiation oncologists
Transfusion medicine specialists
Pediatric oncology nurses
Oncology pharmacies
Psychologists and social workers
Data managers
Training programs pursuant to internationally-accredited curricula

8. Palliative Care From date of diagnosis to end of treatment
Access to adequate pain medication
Compassionate communications

9. Parent & Family Support
Access to housing and transportation (free if needed)
Nutritional supplementation
Psychosocial supports – e.g., coffee ceremonies, counseling, art therapy
Education/skill building

10. Access to and Affordability of Essential Infrastructures
Resources
Medicines
Supplies, Equipment & Medical Devices
Health Information Systems, Research & Reporting

11. Essential Resources Blood products/Blood bank
Stable power source (incl. solar)
Water
IT bandwidth to ensure electronic function and communication

12. Essential Medicines
Placement of all essential chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, morphine, and other medications on National Essential Medicine List (NEML)
National government supply chain management
Stable and reliable pharmacy inventories
Provision of drugs/treatment regardless of ability to pay

13. Supplies, Equipment & Devices
Government supply of:
Personal protective equipment to ensure safety of nurses and pharmacists
Biologic safety cabinets (hoods) for safe mixing of chemotherapy
Prosthetics and other devices

14. Health Information Systems, Research & Reporting
Hospital-based data collection and management system
Link to national cancer registry
Monitoring & evaluation processes
Research & reporting

15. Stewardship, Philanthropy & Advocacy
Financial support must come from international, national, and local sources – both public and private
Local leader (pref. trained pediatric oncologist) needed to direct medical care and interact with institutional and national stakeholders
Need for grassroots organization – e.g., private foundation – dedicated to raising awareness and funds and advocating on behalf of childhood cancer
Stewardship, Philanthropy & Advocacy

16.
Aslan video

17. Early Outcomes and Impact
Through ongoing advocacy with FMOH, most essential drugs now available
More than 100 children treated
Highly favorable early outcomes for LMIC
Pioneered treatment for AML & use of ATRA
Fellowship training program has offered exposure to world-class faculty from the United States, Canada, India, and Pakistan with intensive trainings abroad in US & India
Ongoing training/mentorship in pathology – pathology residency training program to commence in 2018
Elevated standards of care in nursing, pharmacy
Donation of biological safety cabinet
Early Outcomes
and Impact

18. Lessons Learned from Aslan’s Six Years in Ethiopia
To build a Comprehensive Pediatric Cancer Program, many partners are needed
Partnership at the National, Local and Civil Society Level
National:
Federal Government
Ethiopian Pediatric Society
Local:
Jimma University
Tikur Ambessa Hospital
Civil Society:
TAPCCO
Mathiwos Wondu-Ye Ethiopian Cancer Society
Advocacy
Lessons Learned from Aslan’s Six Years in Ethiopia

19. Lessons Learned from Aslan’s Six Years in Ethiopia
Partnership with the Ethiopian community in the USA
Aslan is a US based non-profit organization
Funding comes from private donations and some grants
Not being Ethiopian, we are at a disadvantage
Have some great Ethiopian ‘Friends of Aslan’
We would love to engage with others here to see how we can work together to ensure that every child with cancer in Ethiopia has access to care in the years to come.
Advocacy
Lessons Learned from Aslan’s Six Years in Ethiopia

20. Thank you for including The Aslan Project in this important conference
Join us on Oct. 14th in Washington, DC for our annual gala!
For more information, contact