President Bush’s Program to Combat Cancer in Zambia

During a visit to the George Urban Health Center in Lusaka Friday, President George W. Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush and First Lady of Zambia Dr. Christine Kaseba were joined by United States Ambassador Mark Storella to announce that Zambia will be the first Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partner country, expanding the availability of vital cervical cancer screening and treatment, and breast care education to those in need.

Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon is an innovative partnership between the George W. Bush Institute, the U.S. Department of State President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) that leverages public and private investments and existing health infrastructures to combat cervical and breast cancer, the two leading causes of cancer deaths among women in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The cervical cancer partnership will utilize the platform and resources at PEPFAR and will draw from lessons learned in the significant scaling-up of access to HIV interventions in recent years.

“Today I’m proud to announce that Zambia is the first country to implement a new effort to combat cervical and breast cancer in the developing world,” said President Bush. It’s not acceptable to save a woman’s life from HIV/AIDS and watch her die from cervical cancer.”

Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon has commitments of $75 million over five years, and is expected to grow to include additional participants and services. The goals are to reduce deaths from cervical cancer by an estimated 25 percent among women screened and treated through the initiative, significantly increase access to breast and cervical cancer prevention, screening and treatment programs, and create innovative models that can be scaled up and used globally.

In the picture above: President Bush visits PEPFAR supported AIDS Clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on World Aids Day.