When Gertrude Nakigudde was diagnosed with breast cancer 24 years ago, access to cancer care in Uganda was extremely limited. “Everything at that time was out of pocket,” she recalls. “There was nothing provided for free, and the treatment centre was just a department in one of the national hospitals.”

Gertrude Nakigudde, CEO of Uganda Women’s Cancer Support Organisation (UWOCASO) and member of MPP’s Community Advisory Panel (CAP)

Gertrude’s survival, against these odds, shaped not only her life but also her purpose. Today, she is a proud 24-year breast cancer survivor and Chairperson of the Uganda Women’s Cancer Support Organization (UWOCASO) — a network of more than 200 women who have lived through cancer and now work to support others. 

“From my own experience, I became an advocate,” Gertrude says. “I always complained about what was missing. I mobilised other survivors, and together we formed a group. We realised that our voices were stronger together — to demand the services patients need to access care in our country.”

Bridging the gap between rural communities and cancer care

In Uganda, as in many African countries, the majority of patients live far from urban centres where cancer treatment is available. “Most countries have one national cancer centre, usually in the capital,” Gertrude explains. “In Uganda, that’s the Uganda Cancer Institute  in Kampala. But most patients live 100 or 200 kilometres away.” 

For these patients, getting a diagnosis or starting treatment often means traveling long distances, facing high transport and accommodation costs, and navigating stigma and other social barriers. “Many women delay care because they have to choose between feeding their children and going to Kampala for treatment,” Gertrude says. “By the time they arrive, the disease is often advanced.”

This inequity drives her organisation’s mission: to bring cancer services closer to communities and to advocate for early diagnosis, timely treatment, and survivorship support.

Hope through innovation and partnerships

Gertrude believes that initiatives like those led by the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and the UICC-led Access to Oncology Medicines (ATOM) Coalition  can make a real difference. 

“New cancer medicines are being developed all the time,” she says. “But they are very expensive, and our countries don’t have the budgets to purchase them. I’m happy that MPP is working through innovative partnerships to make these lifesaving treatments available to people in low- and middle-income countries.”

She emphasises the role of advocates and civil society in making these innovations meaningful: “It is our role to raise awareness about the availability of new medicines, to engage governments to embrace these technologies, and to ensure that when patients come for treatment, they can find a solution.”

The power of community voices

“Regardless of where you live, you should receive the same cancer services and treatments that save lives,” she says firmly. “We survived to be a voice for others, and we will keep raising that voice until every patient, everywhere, can access the care they need.”

As a member of MPP’s Community Advisory Panel (CAP),  Gertrude brings her grassroots experience and survivor’s perspective to global discussions about access to medicines. 

“Before joining the CAP, I didn’t know there was an organisation negotiating licences to make new cancer medicines affordable,” she admits. “Now I can share this knowledge with my community and policymakers. I see light — that one day, patients in Africa will be able to access the same lifesaving medicines that are saving lives in high-income countries.”

 

About MPP’s work in cancer care

The Medicines Patent Pool, through partnerships such as the ATOM Coalition, is working to increase access to essential cancer medicines in low- and middle-income countries  by negotiating voluntary licences , supporting technology transfer,  and fostering collaboration between governments, industry, and civil society.