Unlocking Health Equity through Public-Private Partnerships at the 2nd National Cancer Summit in Kenya
Tuesday, August 4, 2025 – 19:00 pm
From July 27 to 30, Nairobi hosted the 2nd National Cancer Summit, bringing together policymakers, healthcare providers, researchers, advocates, private sector and other stakeholders to address Kenya’s increasing cancer burden.
This summit represented an important milestone in Kenya’s national cancer response, shifting focus from identifying challenges to fostering shared responsibility for solutions. It provided a forum to align priorities, enhance multi-sector collaboration, and develop coordinated approaches across the cancer care continuum, in line with the National Cancer Control Strategy and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) policies.
Pfizer’s Accord for a Healthier World Policy and Public Affairs Director, Pauline Irungu, participated in a session highlighting the critical issue of health equity—a global challenge where healthcare innovations often fail to reach those most in need. Pauline also underscored the important role of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in driving health equity, particularly in cancer care, aligning with Kenya’s strategic frameworks.
"Leveraging healthcare access models to achieve health equity is critical in addressing the burden of cancer in Kenya," she emphasized. “This requires collaborative PPPs combining strong regulatory frameworks, equity-focused policies and private sector’s innovation, technology, and operational expertise.”
Pfizer’s Accord for a Healthier World was highlighted as a concrete example of collaborative public-private partnership. Kenya, which has recently joined the Accord for a Healthier World, will now have access to the entire portfolio of current and future treatments and vaccines, for which Pfizer has global rights, on a not-for-profit basis. This reinforces Kenya’s national agenda for a more resilient, inclusive and equitable health system for all.
The expansion of the Accord for a Healthier World to Kenya represents a significant step towards addressing the country's healthcare challenges and driving progress towards universal health coverage. By leveraging the strengths of both the public and private sectors, this partnership aims to address some of the systemic barriers that hinder access to healthcare, improve access to essential and innovative medicines and vaccines, and ultimately, transform the lives of those in need.
"Public-private partnerships are a powerful tool to leverage the unique strengths of each sector and create a more resilient, equitable, and responsive healthcare system. By working together, we can ensure that the benefits of healthcare innovation reach those who need it most, leaving no one behind."
Accord for a Healthier Worled at the 2nd Cancer Summit in Kenya, 27-30 July 2025.