Introduction
In 2022, the International Society for Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) Africa continental Congress provided the opportunity for pediatric oncology nurses from across the region to meet for the first time since 2019. This Congress has become an opportunity for the African pediatric oncology nursing community to network, collaborate and present a shared voice.
In 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Council of Nursing and Nursing NOW, published the first ‘State of the World’s Nursing Report’ 1. This was followed in 2021 by the World Health Assembly endorsement of the WHO ‘Global strategic directions for Nursing and Midwifery’, which focused on four policy areas: nursing education, jobs, leadership and service delivery; all are pertinent themes for pediatric oncology nurses across Africa2.
In 2018, the WHO announced the start of the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer to save more than one million lives and improve survival to 60% worldwide by 2030 3. According to Denburg and colleagues, “National governments must be convinced of the potential for foundational health system strengthening through attention to childhood cancer care, and the presence and capability of networked actors primed to amplify public sector investments and catalyze change on the ground” 4. The WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer currently includes three focus countries in the African region: Ghana, Morocco, and Zambia, with Zimbabwe, Senegal and Cameroon at earlier stages of inclusion 5. Ministries of Health have engaged with WHO and local stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations, parent groups, and hospitals providing childhood cancer care, to perform situational analyses and create strategic plans for strengthening early diagnosis, access to care, sustainable essential medication supply and improved survivorship. None of these goals is possible without competent and reasonably resourced nursing care and a sustainable nursing workforce 6.
In July 2019, the African Union held a cancer symposium with the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) in Niger to bring awareness to the increasing cancer burden on the continent and the need for advocacy, financing, and resource development (including workforce resources) at an international, regional and local level7. African nurses are critical partners in this effort since they are the single largest workforce, have deep community ties, and, when specialized, have the knowledge and skills to provide the care required for patients with cancer in their region, including children and adolescents. Nursing oncology specialization was supported by a call in 2017, when the WHO passed resolution 70.12, ”Cancer prevention and control in the context of an integrated approach,” recognizing cancer as a ”…growing public health concern” and urging member states to ”…facilitate cross-sectoral cooperation between health professionals, as well as the training of personnel at all levels of health systems…” (p. 4) among other cancer control measures8.
This paper is the first to bring the voice of frontline pediatric oncology nurses in Africa to the global movement to improve children’s cancer care. We begin with African pediatric oncology nurse strengths and challenges as documented at the 12th SIOP Africa Congress in 2017. The results of a SIOP Africa mapping exercise data that documented childhood cancer services, including nursing workforce and nursing practice-related data are described. Next, we share pediatric oncology nurse research priorities identified at the 13th SIOP Africa Congress in 2019 and the start of a nursing initiative to create a foundational curriculum for nurses new to pediatric oncology on the continent. Finally, the findings of a survey question to all nurse attendees at the 14th SIOP Africa Congress in 2022 are described.