Miriam Mutebi, Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“These updates have been coming in slower than usual, but there was so much to take in.
If Day 1 at AORTIC-Africa Tunisia showed our momentum, Day 2 reminded us of our mission: Africa doesn’t just need more cancer care, we need human, empathetic systems built with our communities, not around them.
It began before sunrise with the President’s Breakfast, setting the tone: collaboration, continuity, and collective responsibility; unfolding into one of the richest, most textured dialogues of the conference.
- Health as an investment: I moderated a session co-facilitated by Roche Africa, with a question Africa doesn’t ask enough: What does it truly mean to invest in health? We explored: The economic and social return of cancer prevention and control, the role of civil society in demanding equitable care, and why investment must span the entire continuum: from diagnosis to survivorship. Bottomline: Health investment isn’t a cost BUT a catalyst.
- Access to Medicines: We asked: Can Africa achieve faster, more sustainable access to innovative cancer medicines? Under the brilliant facilitation of Dr. Yehoda Martei and the Medicines Patent Pool, myths around immuno-oncology were debunked, examining how procurement, regulation, and regional collaboration must evolve.
- AORTIC × ASCO Symposium (a personal conference highlight every two years) saw us discuss the importance of quality of care and the urgent need to expand implementation science across Africa. Followed by the official launch of The Lancet Group Oncology Commission’s report on the ‘Human Crisis in Cancer,’ co-facilitated by Prof. Richard Sullivan and Prof. Gary Rodin. The panel featured Prof. Nirmala Bhoo Pathy and Dr. Samiratou Ouedraogo tackling the question: How do we deliver compassionate, dignified care in systems already stretched thin?
- Re-centring Humanity in Care: Across every room echoed the need to shift from cure-centred systems to care-centred systems. Technology, rising caseloads, and systemic pressures have distanced us from the human heart of medicine. Notwithstanding, Africa’s superpower remains our deep sense of community, our Ubuntu: ‘I am because we are.’
I.e:
- Rebuilding empathy as a core clinical skill
- Designing patient-centric systems grounded in culture, context, and values
- The ‘language of cancer’ and why words matter
- Ensuring that every patient is seen, heard, respected, and dignified
Day 2 reminded us that people heal people, not systems. And so when we design care rooted in humanity, empathy, and community, we move closer to delivering the cancer care Africa needs and deserves.”
More posts featuring Miriam Mutebi.
