Funding Cancer Care: National Plans Can Help Bring Radiotherapy to More Patients

The IAEA helps governments prepare “bankable documents” investment proposals explaining clinical needs, facilities, equipment, workforce requirements, radiation safety and sustainability.

Getting cancer treatment closer to home takes more than buying a radiotherapy machine: countries need suitable buildings, trained teams, reliable maintenance and funding that keeps services running. At the IAEA General Conference side event, "Success Stories in Financing the Scaling up of Radiation Medicine," representatives from Côte d'Ivoire, Fiji, Mongolia and Tanzania described how national commitment and detailed investment plans are helping them secure funding.

The stakes are substantial: according to International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates cited in the release, around 20.6 million people were diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and 9.8 million died, with cases expected to increase over the next decade.

Turning Cancer Care Needs into Projects Investors Can Back

For many low- and middle-income countries, financing equipment, infrastructure and specialist staff remains a major obstacle. The IAEA helps governments prepare "bankable documents" investment proposals explaining clinical needs, facilities, equipment, workforce requirements, radiation safety and sustainability. These draw on expertise in diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and medical physics, supported by findings from imPACT Reviews that assess cancer care needs and identify investment priorities. Countries receiving this support have secured money from national budgets, development agencies and international financial institutions, giving their expansion plans a practical route to funding.

Financing partners want to understand how spending will improve patients' lives and how services will operate over time. Evans Mburu, Head of Implementation at MedAccess, said the IAEA process helps explain a country's needs, policies and staffing environment. Through a partnership signed with the IAEA in 2025, MedAccess is supporting a pay-per-use model for radiotherapy equipment in Kenya and Tanzania, allowing countries to make a small initial contribution and pay over time according to use, with maintenance and service support included. OPEC Fund Senior Country Manager Lewnis Boudaoui highlighted a recently approved investment exceeding US$75 million in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Fund's first collaboration with the IAEA under Rays of Hope, and stressed the importance of early technical coordination.

National Commitment Builds Services Around People

Côte d'Ivoire opened its first dedicated national medical oncology and radiotherapy facility in 2017, with the government providing the building, equipment, staff and operating budget before approaching partners. Judith Didi-Kouko Coulibaly, Director General of the National Centre for Medical Oncology and Radiotherapy, described this commitment as the foundation for further support.

IAEA fellowships and training have helped develop radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians, radiation oncologists, radiotherapy technologists, medical physicists and other professionals now leading the country's cancer programme. Partners expanded nutritional, psychological and social support, reflecting the centre's emphasis on protecting patients' dignity and caring for the person beyond the illness.

Tanzania's experience shows how sustained cooperation can strengthen national services through expanded cancer centres and training for health professionals. An imPACT Review identified gaps in radiation medicine and informed the country's cancer care strategy. Omary S. Ubuguyu, Assistant Director for Non-Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health, credited engagement with the IAEA with opening opportunities to advance radiation medicine.

Bringing Treatment Within Reach of More Families

Mongolia is pursuing a €61 million investment covering a regional radiotherapy facility, a second national cancer centre and expanded diagnostics in Ulaanbaatar. Supported by IAEA expertise and a 2024 imPACT Review, the proposal fits its long-term development policy and 2025–2028 national cancer control plan. Health, finance, construction and nuclear energy authorities helped prepare it together. Nuclear Energy Commission official Chadraabal Mavag said only 40% of newly diagnosed patients receive radiotherapy, compared with an estimated 50–60% who need it, making expanded capacity critical for patients and families.

Fiji is working to establish its first radiotherapy centre, giving patients an alternative to costly overseas treatment and its financial, travel and personal burdens. Its IAEA-supported proposal covers equipment, infrastructure, specialist training, safety and sustainable operation. Plans are progressing with World Bank support through the Pacific Healthy Islands Transformation Project, alongside support from the Asian Development Bank, Pandemic Fund and Australian Government, bringing treatment closer to the communities that need it.