Featured article from Mephida Symposium 2020 : Mobilising stakeholders to improve access to state-of-the-art radiotherapy in low- and middle-income countries
On 24 October 2020, MephidA e.V., together with Camfomedics e.V. and the Harvard-based Global Health Catalyst, hosted a virtual symposium from Oldenburg, Germany, titled "Reducing the Cancer Burden: Technical and Structural Challenges in Low-Income Countries." The meeting brought together radiotherapy equipment vendors, dosimetry providers, and oncology and medical physics experts to confront the persistent shortfall of radiotherapy services across African LMICs — and to chart practical paths forward, from telemedicine-supported expert review to solar-powered treatment infrastructure. The findings were later published in ecancermedicalscience (2021).
Publication following a joint symposium organized by Medical physicists in diaspora for Africa e.V. (MephidA e.V.) in collaboration with the Germany-based Cameroon-German medical doctor’s association (Camfomedics e.V.) and the Harvard-based Global Health Catalyst summit. Together with industry representatives of OEMs in radiotherapy treatment delivery and QA, we discussed the technical and structural challenges faced in African LMIC settings, re-evaluate strategies to overcome the shortfall of radiotherapy services and ameliorate the situation. This paper summarizes the deliberations and recommendations based on the ongoing efforts including the use of information and communication technologies towards the provision of expert knowledge and telemedicine, the use of solar energy to avoid power outages and the use of high-end technology for enhanced quality assurance.