Isabel Mestres, CEO of City Cancer Challenge (C/Can), shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Tuesday Reflections: Finding Coherence Together
We all agree that we need to strengthen health systems, not just fund siloed interventions. We say it in every global forum, and I know we all truly believe it.
Yet when it comes to funding, the conversation often shifts:
“We’d like to support only something concrete for our organization, visible and measurable within a year.”
And that’s where the paradox begins. Real, lasting impact comes from strong, connected systems, not stand-alone projects. But system coordination rarely gets funded because it’s harder to measure, assign to a single donor and takes longer.
It’s a bit like asking a chef to prepare a five-course meal but only funding the salt.
If we only accept funding for isolated projects, we risk falling back into fragmented care models, where no one coordinates the system, and everyone unintentionally adds complexity.
That’s why at City Cancer Challenge (C/Can) we keep insisting, despite the challenges, on supporting the system and educating our partners. We owe it to countries. We owe it to patients. And when donors are looking for true partners, we also owe it to them, to help them understand what impact really means, what it takes to achieve it, and why we shouldn’t just run after the “quick »money.
Because coherence isn’t just about alignment, it’s about courage, persistence, and a shared commitment to lasting impact.”
More posts featuring Isabel Mestres on OncoDaily.