Côte d’Ivoire increases breast cancer remission rates to 63 percent
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President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire announced improvements in cancer screening and treatment during national awareness campaigns.
He stated that the five-year remission rate for breast cancer in the country rose to 63 percent from a previous rate of 30 percent. The president noted that early detection can increase this remission rate to nearly 90 percent. The government expanded the national health system since 2011 to include modern facilities like the Alassane Ouattara National Center for Medical Oncology and Radiotherapy.
Before 2018, the country had no radiotherapy units, but it now operates several regional centers and hospitals to treat the more than 20,000 people who face cancer annually. To reduce financial barriers, the government made certain expensive cancer medications free in public hospitals starting in 2019. President Ouattara stated that patients at the national oncology center do not face treatment delays due to costs.
Additionally, the First Lady Dominique Ouattara provides free care to 90 percent of children with cancer at the Mother and Child Hospital in Bingerville.
