The Lilly Foundation has committed US$ 1mn to support the AMPATH Oncology Institute in Kenya.
The money will help equip a new oncology center, hire additional staff and train local healthcare professionals, ultimately allowing AMPATH to screen, treat and provide palliative care to more people, many of whom lack access to quality health services in Eldoret.
The US$ 1mn commitment will be paid out over four years, from 2015-2018. This new funding builds on a longstanding partnership between Lilly and AMPATH.
In addition to the US$ 1mn in funding, AMPATH and Lilly are exploring opportunities for Lilly employees to participate in skills-based volunteer assignments in conjunction with the AMPATH Oncology Institute.
AMPATH (Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare) was created in response to the HIV crisis in Western Kenya in 2001. It is built on a partnership with Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and the Moi University School of Medicine in Eldoret, Kenya, and a consortium of North American academic health centers, led by Indiana University.
AMPATH has continually expanded its successful HIV approach to include more diseases, including diabetes, hypertension and cancer. It now provides healthcare services to a population of 3.5 million in Western Kenya.
Public-private partnerships have allowed the institute to expand its staff and services to a current team that includes 10 clinicians, six core nurses and an oncology pharmacist. The institute received nearly 10,000 patient visits last year and screened more than 10,000 women for breast cancer and 20,000 women for cervical cancer.
The institute is one of only two cancer centers in Kenya, meaning that nearly half of the country’s 42 million people must rely on the AMPATH Oncology Institute for screening and care.
The Lilly Foundation’s funding will help equip the center’s new oncology outpatient center and allow for the hiring of additional doctors, physicians’ assistants and other staff to screen and treat more people. Additionally, the funding will support the creation of a research and training institute focused on cancer prevention, screening, treatment and supportive care. The institute will help build much-needed capacity among local healthcare providers.
