Blog

Miriam Mutebi: Cancer is never just a medical condition – it is a lived experience

Miriam Mutebi/LinkedIn

Feb 5, 2025, 17:50

Miriam Mutebi: Cancer is never just a medical condition – it is a lived experience

Miriam Mutebi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital, posted on LinkedIn:

“On this World Cancer Day, February 4, we stand in solidarity with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in embracing this year’s theme: United By Unique.

This theme reminds us that every cancer journey is personal, shaped by individual circumstances, cultural contexts, and access to care.

Cancer is never just a medical condition – it is a lived experience. For too long, we have taken a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, offering standardized treatments without fully recognizing the diverse ways cancer affects individuals, particularly in Africa.

As we continue to advance cancer care, it is crucial that in addition to standard generic treatments, we strive to create care pathways that are tailored to the needs of each patient. This means treating not just the disease but the whole person – their environment, struggles, and aspirations.

However, some things should never be unique.

The right to access quality care, life-saving treatment, and early diagnosis should not depend on where someone lives or their financial resources. While Africa faces unique cancer care challenges, the need for equitable and compassionate care is universal.

In recognition of this, AORTIC- Africa is pleased to reignite our Advocacy Special Interest Group, co-chaired by Julie S. Torode and Abiola Ibraheem, who will be working with me, to lead discussions on how advocacy can drive meaningful change in cancer care across the continent and ensure that our patients’ voices remain central to this continuing dialogue.

This World Cancer Day, let’s unite in our commitment to a future where every patient’s journey is valued and supported, and where access to care is a right, not a privilege.

Together with UICC and partners worldwide, we can make this vision a reality.”