Leveraging South-South cooperation to strengthen public health policies in childhood cancer care: Insights from the St Jude Global Alliance Convening

Abstract

Background

South-South cooperation is an increasingly recognized approach to strengthen health systems through the horizontal exchange of knowledge, resources, and technologies between countries with similar contexts. In Latin America, this model holds great potential for addressing critical gaps in childhood cancer care. A dedicated session during the 2024 St. Jude Global Alliance Convening brought together global stakeholders to explore how South-South collaboration can support the development and implementation of equitable public health policies for childhood cancer. The session used the WHO CureAll framework to guide discussions across four priority pillars of action.

Methods

Organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the session engaged over 40 participants in a 75-min collaborative workshop. Attendees were divided into four groups aligned with the CureAll pillars: (1) Centers of Excellence, (2) Universal Health Coverage, (3) Regimens for Management, and (4) Evaluation and Monitoring. Through guided exercises, each group identified shared regional challenges and proposed actionable, cooperative solutions based on existing or potential examples of South-South cooperation. Findings were presented in a final plenary discussion.

Results

Participants identified multiple shared challenges across the CureAll pillars, including insufficient specialized human resources, lack of coordinated referral systems, limited access to essential medicines, and the absence of standardized protocols and pediatric cancer registries. In response, groups proposed regional training programs, joint development of treatment guidelines, telemedicine platforms, and cross-country referral pathways for complex treatments such as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Examples of successful South-South initiatives at a global level—including collaborative campaigns for early diagnosis and regional policy dialogues—demonstrated the viability and impact of this cooperation model.

Conclusions

The session reinforced the relevance of South-South cooperation as a strategic approach to advancing childhood cancer care in the region. By fostering peer learning, policy alignment, and resource sharing, countries can co-develop sustainable solutions to common challenges. The experience highlighted the power of regional collaboration to inform policy, build capacity, and reduce health disparities in pediatric oncology.