IGCS welcomes three societies bringing a total of 127 new members to the Strategic Alliance Partnership Program:
- Caribbean Gynecologic Cancer Society (CGCS)
- Malaysian Gynaecological Cancer Society (MGCS)
- Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas-Peru (INEN)
The Caribbean
The Caribbean Gynecologic Cancer Society (CGCS) has joined the IGCS Strategic Alliance Partner bringing 43 Caribbean members to our international community. Dr. Raleigh Butler, the Program Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship at the University of the West Indies Bahamas led the charge in securing this partnership. CGCS was founded in 2015 and is made up of physicians specializing in gynecologic oncology from the University of the West Indies (UWI) campuses of Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados and Bahamas.
With different cultures, governments, political histories and populations, the standards of medical facilities can vary from island to island. Recent research revealed that the Bahamas has the highest occurrence of BRCA-positivity in the world. Cervical cancer incidence is 22.1 per 100,000 in the UWI campus countries combined.
Acknowledging that the region had a wealth of talented individuals who had trained at home and overseas, the UWI campuses initiated a collaborative approach to fighting gynecological malignancies across the region. The IGCS Global Curriculum and Mentorship Program has been implemented at the UWI campuses in Jamaica and the Bahamas.
Now through the Strategic Alliance, we look forward to working with CGCS on additional collaborative initiatives for the benefit of women’s cancer control in the Caribbean.
Malaysia
Please join us in welcoming 43 new members from the Malaysian Gynecological Cancer Society ( MGCS ) to the IGCS Strategic Alliance Partner Program. We would like to thank Dr. Vicknesh Visvalingam , Senior Consultant Gynecological Oncologist & MGCS President in securing our partnership.
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia with a population of over 33 million. Cervical, ovarian and uterine cancers are among the top 10 most common cancers among Malaysian women. Much has been achieved in improving gynecological oncology services in Malaysia in the past 50 years. There is a structured program under the purview of the Ministry of Health Malaysia to increase the number of gynecological oncologists in order to cope with the burden of gynecological cancers in the country.
In 2001, the first gynecologic oncology training center was established in the northern region of Malaysia and today there are 12 recognized hospitals providing training. Most major Malaysian hospitals currently have one or two trained gynecologic oncologists to serve the public. With the support from the Ministry of Health Malaysia, academic Institutions and the Obstetrics and Gynecology Society of Malaysia, MGCS has been involved in various training programs, conferences, workshops, and in training and educating the public.
MGCS organizes the Biennial National Gynaecological Oncology Conference and is also involved in preparing the Malaysian Clinical Practice Guidelines on site specific gynecological cancers as well as research projects. We look forward to working with MGCS in furthering our joint goals to improve women's cancer care in Malaysia.
Peru
Finally, Dr. Aldo López Blanco and nurse Ninoska Eugenia Macavilca Luyo were instrumental in securing a partnership with the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas-Peru, bringing 44 gynecologic oncologists into the IGCS Strategic Alliance.
With a population of 32 million, Peru is located on the west coast of South America where one-third of the total population lives in Lima, the capital city. When it comes to cancer control, Peru has unique challenges because this concentration of population in only one city contributed to structural, infrastructural and procedural barriers for the Peruvian health system. Cervical and breast cancer are a leading cause of death among women in Peru.
The National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases, better known as INEN, is a Peruvian public hospital managed by the Ministry of Health of Peru that has a national responsibility for cancer prevention, detection, treatment, education, and research. The INEN has organized satellite treatment centers and cancer prevention offices in many parts of the country in an effort to decentralize cancer control services and reduce gaps in geographic and economic access.
In the past decade alone, much work has been done to mobilize policies and actions for the prevention and control of cancer in Peru though the commitment of INEN, the National Government of Peru’s Ministries of Health and Finance and through international collaborations with the global health community. IGCS looks forward to assisting our colleagues in Peru with their tireless efforts to reduce the incidence of gynecologic cancers in the region.
We are glad to welcome our most recent partners into the IGCS global community and look forward to collaborating and developing strategies to utilize our strengths to achieve our common goals.