Abstract 92: Using Innovative Technology and Collaborative Efforts to Reduce Disparities and Inequities in Cancer Care and Improve the Lives of Patients in Low-Middle Income Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: South African and Lesotho Experience of the ECHO Model
Authors: Osei-Fofie Daniel , Cekwane Kabelo Mputsoe , Hassan Mobashshar , Masuabi Sophie Victoria , Ntsekhe Pearl 
Published: June 2023

Purpose: Sub-Saharan Africa has huge disparities and inequities in cancer care. Some low resource countries have no facilities or trained oncologists and other healthcare professionals for cancer care. Patients often must travel long distances to access specialised cancer care such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy and palliative care. Patients with cancer in Lesotho who needed chemotherapy had to be flown to India; those who needed radiotherapy were referred to South Africa. Majority of the cancers diagnosed in the Northern cape province and Lesotho are in late stages and need treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy as part of the multimodality therapy.

Methods: The Northern Cape Cancer Centre of Excellence and Research (NCCanCER) at Kimberley Hospital in South Africa collaborated with the Senkatana Hospital in Lesotho. Oncologists, specialist oncology nurses and IT personnel were trained at Project ECHO Institute in Albuquerque, NM to use the ECHO model for training, transfer of skills and mentorship.

NCCanCER assisted Lesotho to set up a chemotherapy facility at Senkatana Hospital. An initial visit to the Kimberley Hospital Oncology Department for benchmarking was done by oncology staff from Lesotho. NCCanCER oncology staff went to Lesotho to provide on-site training in chemotherapy administration.

Weekly virtual ECHO clinics were run from the Hub at Kimberley with spoke sites in Lesotho, Upington, Springbok and Kuruman. At the ECHO clinics, management of patients are discussed using evidence-based management protocols for continued training, transfer of skills, support and mentorship.

Results: Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, clinical psychologists and community healthcare workers have been trained to provide cancer care and palliative care services in the underprivileged and underserved areas of the Northern cape and Lesotho.

The first chemotherapy facility was opened in Lesotho in July 2022 and patients in Lesotho are no longer flown to India for chemotherapy.

Patients in remote areas of the Northern cape province of South Africa can now receive chemotherapy and palliative care closer to their homes.

There is continuous training, transfer of skills, expertise and mentorship of oncology staff.

Conclusion: The ECHO model is useful in democratizing knowledge, transfer skills and expertise to improve care to patients in low resource countries.

Citation Format: Daniel Osei-Fofie, Kabelo Mputsoe Cekwane, Mobashshar Hassan, Sophie Victoria Masuabi, Pearl Ntsekhe. Using Innovative Technology and Collaborative Efforts to Reduce Disparities and Inequities in Cancer Care and Improve the Lives of Patients in Low-Middle Income Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: South African and Lesotho Experience of the ECHO Model [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Closing the Research-to-Implementation Gap; 2023 Apr 4-6. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 92.