Female Leadership in the Fight Against Cancer

Abstract

Background and context: According to INCA (National Cancer Institute), over 300,000 women would be diagnosed with cancer in 2017 in Brazil. There are many obstacles for full autonomy of Brazilian women. However, their contribution to the growth of the Brazilian GDP has been increasingly more significant. Access to prevention, diagnosis and health care have an impact on those levels because, the more healthy women are, the more they can be economically active. The engagement of female political leaders for the promotion of public policies is a major opportunity. Aim: Promoting the engagement of female political leaders in the fight against BC in terms of promoting local public policies and actions to provide access to diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Strategy/Tactics: Was established that, to participate in the event organized by the project, only teams comprised of NGOs and female political representatives from their respective locations could apply. Therefore, we can expect joint and combined actions in the long run. Program/Policy process: Planning: Define the schedule of the event and goals of the dynamics applied for collectively building a plan. Engagement: NGOs associated to Federação Brasileira de Instituições Filantrópicas de Apoio à Saúde da Mama (FEMAMA) organized local meetings to encourage political leaders to participate in the event. Implementation: Lectures to align knowledge and expertise on: female empowerment, social costs of cancer and advocacy; Collective construction dynamics to be used to draft a guideline document, specifying the main local issued regarding female cancer and actions proposed to solve those issues. Promotion: Social media and press. Feedback: Various improvements right after the event, due to the closeness established between the NGOs and political leaders. Main outcomes: Participation in the event: 36 NGOs from 15 states and 28 female political leaders (State Governors, Mayors, First Ladies, federal Congresswomen, City Councilor, etc.); 1 guideline document specifying the main local issued regarding female cancer and actions proposed to solve those issues; Reaching over 207,000 people, with key messages from the event posted on social media, as well as 100 insertions in the press; Drafting and proposing a bill, which is to be done by the federal Congresswoman who participated in the event, petitioning for the implementation of a Mandatory Cancer Registration service in the country (PL 8470/2017); Purchasing and repairing digital mammography devices for public hospitals in 2 Brazilian states; Implementing a cancer registration system (which was out of operation since 2013) and creating a Special Oncology Committee at the City Councils of cities in northeastern Brazil. What was learned: The engagement of female political leaders by the NGOs was essential to the success of the project. FEMAMA believes that this relationship needs to be maintained so that the actions proposed in the guideline document can actually be carried out.