Background Cervical cancer disproportionately affects women in sub-Saharan Africa, compared with other world regions. In Ethiopia, a National Cancer Control Plan published in 2015, outlines an ambitious strategy to reduce the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer. This strategy includes widespread screening using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA). As the national screening program has rolled out, there has been limited inquiry of provider experiences. This study aims to describe cancer control experts’ perspectives regarding the cancer control strategy and implementation of VIA. Methods Semi-structured interviews with 18 participants elicited provider perspectives on cervical cancer prevention and screening. Open-ended interview questions queried barriers and facilitators to implementation of a new national screening program. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis and mapped to the Integrated Behavioral Model. Participants were health providers and administrators with positionality as cancer control experts including screening program professionals, oncologists, and cancer focal persons at town, zone, and federal health offices at eleven government facilities in the Arsi, Bale, and Shoa zones of the Oromia region, and in the capital Addis Ababa. Results The cancer control plan and screening method, VIA, were described by participants as contextually appropriate and responsive to the unique service delivery challenges in Ethiopia. Screening implementation barriers included low community- and provider-awareness of cervical cancer and screening, lack of space and infrastructure to establish the screening center, lack of materials including cryotherapy machines for the “screen-and-treat” approach, and human resource issues such as high-turnover of staff and administration. Participant-generated solutions included additional training for providers, demand creation to increase patient flow through mass media campaigns, decentralization of screening from large regional hospitals to local health centers, improved monitoring and evaluation, and incentivization of screening services to motivate health providers. Conclusions As the Ethiopian government refines its Cancer Control Plan and scales up screening service implementation throughout the country, the findings from this study can inform the policies and practices of cervical cancer screening. Provider perspectives of barriers and facilitators to effective cancer control and screening implementation reveal areas for continued improvement such as provider training and coordination and collaboration in the health system.

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Background: Tuberculosis is still one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in the world with nearly 1.3 million deaths recorded in 2012. Multi drug resistant tuberculosis has caused high number of deaths and new infections in the same year. The optimal management of MDR TB has been retarded by lack of controlled trials to indicate a fixed drug regimen to be applied universally. Surgical resection, often involving lobectomy and pneumoctomy, is used in patients failing to show improvements with the drug therapy. Objective: To conduct systematic review meta-analysis on comparative evaluation of treatment for MDR TB with and without surgical resection. Methods: Eligible studies were identified from databases using key phrases MDR TB, MDR TB treatment, and clinical outcomes for MDR TB therapy. Statistical analysis was performed by Comprehensive meta-analysis (CMA) version 2.2.064 software. Results: Twenty (20) studies fully met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis was performed on 630 MDR patients with and 2149 patients without surgery. The analysis produced success rates of 0.845, 0.520, failure rates of 0.157, 0.100, death rates of 0.172, 0.084 and default rates of 0.184, 0.038 for the non-surgical and surgical groups respectively. Conclusion: Adjuvant surgical resection results in clinically significant increase in success rates of MDR TB therapy and a reduction in the rates of failure, death and default.