CANCER ALLIANCE
ADVOCACY TOOLKIT OVERVIEW
URGENT CALL TO ACTION: LET’S TALK ABOUT CANCER
In 2015, nearly 60 000 South Africans died of cancer, yet this disease is not given the top priority attention it deserves at the highest levels of government.
The same year, a further 114 091 people were diagnosed with cancer – and if they are to get a fighting chance of beating the disease, sweeping changes must be implemented urgently.
The Cancer Alliance is a collective of cancer control, non-profit cancer organizations and cancer advocates who are working to provide a platform for civil society to speak with one voice and drive change for all South Africans affected by the disease.
WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY CONCERNS?
Cancer control is being thwarted on two fronts:
- The absence of a comprehensive national cancer control plan for South Africa.
- The absence of a fully-functional cancer registry.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
We need a structured, workable National Cancer Control Plan as a matter of urgency, along with reliable, comparable cancer surveillance data for planning of appropriate cancer services.
The Cancer Alliance has identified nine priority areas which require specific focus to ensure cancer is addressed holistically. Many of the points correspond to the nine targets of the World Cancer Declaration.
The documents and slides below provide more detail on the issues, which will be expanded on in the following sections of this Toolkit.
