Originally published on Bristol Myers Squibb News & Perspectives
For many cancer patients throughout Africa, the journey to diagnosis and treatment can be long and uncertain. But across the continent, communities and local leaders are working to change that reality. The Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation (BMS Foundation), an independent charitable organization, is proud to support many of these changemakers by strengthening cancer care systems and improving access to quality care, closer to home.
Recently, BMS Foundation President Catharine Grimes and members of the BMS Foundation team traveled to Africa to witness firsthand the impactful work of their grantee partners and meet with patients in various communities. The trip highlighted the profound impact of local efforts to transform health outcomes, and the unwavering commitment of the people working tirelessly to improve and save lives.
Their journey began in Kitui County, Kenya, where cervical and breast cancer are the leading causes of death among women of reproductive age, and access to treatment locally was once virtually unattainable. For years, patients had to travel over 150 miles to Nairobi for specialty care, often sleeping in hospital corridors. But today, the Phangisile Mtshali Cancer Center stands as a beacon of hope. Established in partnership with the Centre for Medical Mobilisation Board (CMMB) and the Kitui County Ministry of Health, the center has served more than 600 new patients and recorded over 5,400 revisits in just two years. It has also served as a hub for coordinating life-saving public health interventions, including reaching over 36,500 girls aged 10–14 with the HPV vaccine as a critical step toward advancing the WHO’s 90-70-90 cervical cancer elimination strategy.
“The Phangisile Mtshali Cancer Center has become a lifeline for cancer patients in Kitui county,” said Grimes. “Survivors bravely shared their stories with us, and they spoke with deep gratitude for this center that has changed their lives. It reaffirmed for us that when care is close to home, everything changes — outcomes, trust and lives. That is the power of building strong local systems that are responsive to the needs of the community.”
The BMS Foundation next traveled to Kisumu County, joining grantee partner Cure Cervical Cancer Kenya’s Mobile Health for Mamas program. Their community health campaign model uses home-based human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling, mobile treatment outreaches where eligible HPV-positive women who receive same-day diagnosis are invited for visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and are offered free thermal ablation treatment and patient navigation services.
“This initiative is grassroots public health at its finest,” Grimes shared. “Women from remote areas are able to access critical screening and treatment, and they are cared for with compassion and respect. The commitment of these health workers is nothing short of inspiring.”
Since 2021, the program has screened over 47,000 women for HPV and treated more than 8,000 HPV-positive patients in Kenya.
That same commitment to community-led, patient-centered care was on full display as the Foundation team continued on to other grantee sites. In Durban, South Africa, they participated in the Cancer & Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Research Unit-University of KwaZulu Natal’s (CIDERU-UKZN) mobile X-ray outreach in one of the implementing sites, which was made possible in collaboration with other CIDERU-UKZN partners, showcasing the power of inclusive interventions at the community level. They also toured the newly renovated lung cancer unit at Addington Hospital, which is focused on reducing the proportion of patients being diagnosed with lung cancer in stages 3 & 4 and increasing the volume of patients being diagnosed at earlier stages (1 & 2), ultimately saving lives.
And at the CANSA Mkhuhla Care Home, they met patients who received housing, meals, counseling and a supportive community after traveling long distances for treatment.
In Eldoret, Kenya, at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Uasin-Gishu County, the team made a visit to one of the facilities, Kamalel Health Centre in Kesses Sub-County. They witnessed local efforts to build community awareness, improve early detection and connect patients to treatment through navigation and peer support.
One patient, Martin Ijakaa, shared how the program not only connected him to treatment, but also restored his sense of dignity. Mr. Ijakaa had experienced vision loss and severe neurological symptoms but received no treatment plan or support despite visiting various facilities outside MTRH, including the capital Nairobi. He was ultimately reached by a patient navigator from the BMS Foundation supported project, Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare Multinational Lung Cancer Control Program (AMPATH MLCCP). After evaluation, procedures for biopsy and access to critical diagnostic tests, he was diagnosed with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma. He received appropriate management that included radiotherapy and a targeted therapy — as well as complementary support through home visits, peer support groups and counseling. Today Martin continues to do well, enjoying life and his family.
“Meeting Martin reminded us that behind every initiative is a human story,” said Grimes. “There is a story of struggle, but also of resilience. Martin’s journey reminds us why this work matters. Our partners are giving their patients a reason to believe in tomorrow.”
The Africa Grantee Summit: Learning, connection and shared purpose
These site visits set the stage for the BMS Foundation’s annual Africa Grantee Summit in Johannesburg, where grantee partners from across the continent convened to share progress, challenges, and opportunities to continue to grow their programs. Sessions focused on evaluation, research readiness, community-based innovation and sustainability, and provided the opportunity for celebration, collaboration and unity around shared purpose.
Joining Grimes was Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation Board Member and Bristol Myers Squibb Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Wendy Short Bartie, whose presence underscored sustained commitment to the work.
“The BMS Foundation’s ethos is to put patients and people first, and to act with conviction to change outcomes where the need is greatest,” said Bartie. “That commitment is evident in the grantee partnerships it has established. The work being done across Africa shows that, even in the face of enormous challenges, it is possible to create lasting change and develop solutions that transform health outcomes and save lives.”
Renewed commitment: Post-Summit site visits
Following the Grantee Summit, Bartie and Grimes embarked on more grantee partner visits in South Africa. At the Wits Lung Laboratory in Helen Joseph Hospital, they met Dr. Anita Graham, who in 2018 established a unit that now provides services in diagnosis, staging, management and palliative care, shifting the outlook on lung cancer in South Africa to equitable, advanced and consistent care. They joined a community outreach event with Afia Tai at an informal settlement without a primary healthcare clinic, where Afia Tai’s team provided cervical cancer screening services to local women and introduced them to members of its cancer support group for patients and their families. And at the Soweto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (SCCC) at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Chief Executive Officer Dr. Nthabiseng Makgana shared how adult oncology and palliative care units and a new smoking cessation support group — one of the few structured cessation programs operating on the continent — are transforming local care. Smoking cessation programs are exceptionally rare across Africa, and the BMS Foundation grant to the SCCC is bringing this evidence-based, preventive service and assistance to people who are committed to quit smoking.
“What struck me most was the joy and hope we witnessed,” Grimes said. “The support group wasn’t just about quitting smoking. It was about rebuilding confidence, community and self-belief.”
“Everywhere we went, we saw the same thing — courage in the face of adversity, hope where there was once none and a fierce determination to build a better future,” added Bartie.
Looking ahead
While persistent challenges for access and equitable care in Africa remain, the BMS Foundation and its grantee partners are making significant strides to break down barriers and are building local health capacity, driving sustainable care that can transform the lives of patients and their families.
“Expanding access to high-quality care in partnership with local leaders is at the core of our mission,” said Grimes. “There is more to be done, but we are already seeing the difference these collaborations are making in the lives of patients and families.”
