Marrakech – International Conference on Cancer Control in the Middle East and Africa, held on January 12-14, ended with the adoption of a report called “Marrakech Call.”
This document was presented to HRH Princess Lalla Salma, chairwoman of the Lalla Salma Association for the Fight against Cancer (ALSC), during the closing ceremony of the event which was attended notably by princesses and first ladies invited to this conference and other figures.
Through this roadmap, the participants recommended the strengthening of South-South cooperation among countries in the region through the establishment of a Regional Fund for the prevention and treatment of cancer, the creation of an African Oncology School for the development of human skills, and the establishment of an inter-regional committee for the support and monitoring of programmes to prevent and fight against cancer in the region.
They also advocated the revision of health policies, the need to develop a national plan to prevent and control cancer, the establishment of a population register for the collection of data on cancer, and the monitoring of the situation of morbidity, mortality and impact of actions vis-à-vis the disease.
The participants said they were also in favour of programme planning for early detection of cervical cancer through the use of appropriate methods in this area as part of a comprehensive system of care.
They also recommended the introduction of an anti-HPV vaccine under the conditions of each country at a cost that can ensure also democratic access to care.
“Marrakech Call” stems from the recognition by the United Nations, at the meeting of September 20, the place to be accorded to non-communicable diseases in health systems and priority should be given to the fight against cancer, and significant results achieved by programmes against cancer in some countries in the region since the “Rabat Call” in 2006, which open a new era in the struggle.
