U.S., Other Donor Governments Should Work Alongside Muslim Nations To Address Cancer In Africa

The Hill: As Western donors abandon Africa’s cancer crisis, Muslim nations are filling the gap
Naeem Khan, assistant secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation

“…For a smart aid strategy, all nations — including America — must consider the prevention of diseases like cancer in the developing world, including Africa. This is in America — and other Western nations’ — best interest. … Another path for America’s aid operations, particularly in the face of potentially smaller budgets, is to work with new partners to deliver precision health care aid — a few researchers or a small specialized clinic, rather than the more sprawling, expensive aid projects of the past. These partners could include new humanitarian aid blocs, including pan-Islamic humanitarianism. Significant aid by individual Muslim-majority states is not a new occurrence … What is novel is many of these countries acting in a coordinated way to target otherwise neglected issues, under the leadership of an umbrella organization like the [Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)]. In humanitarian terms, the OIC is sometimes called ‘the Muslim U.N.’ As the U.N.’s role shifts, perhaps they can be a new key partner on the ground for many Western donor countries, including the United States” (8/6).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.