The Global Fund, Cervical Cancer, and HPV infections: what can low- and middle-income countries do to accelerate progress by 2030?

Abstract

The footprint of cervical cancer mirrors the impact of global inequity and inequality on the right to health for girls and women. While today, cervical cancer is a relatively rare cause of death in Europe, North America, and Australia, almost 94% of deaths in 2022 occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Governments adopted the WHO global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer. Still, the stark reality is that many countries may not reach the 90:70:90 targets by 2030 without political commitment and a sense of urgency. We call for enhanced advocacy for the right to prevention services and political actions to mobilise global funding, local philanthropic support, and innovative financing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an African coalition raised over $20 million to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Positive lessons from this response should be replicated to save millions of women and girls at risk of cervical cancer in LMICs. There is a need for a global fund for cancer; regional blocs like the African Union need to recognise the disproportionate burden and establish continental funding mechanisms to enable high-burden countries to make crucial upfront health systems investments that will put their countries on the pathway to cervical cancer elimination.

Funding: This study was not funded.