There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
Treatment of non-communicable diseases such as cancer in refugees is neglected in
low-income and middle-income countries, but is of increasing importance because the
number of refugees is growing. The UNHCR, through exceptional care committees (ECCs),
has developed standard operating procedures to address expensive medical treatment
for refugees in host countries, to decide on eligibility and amount of payment. We
present data from funding applications for cancer treatments for refugees in Jordan
between 2010 and 2012, and in Syria between 2009 and 2011. Cancer in refugees causes
a substantial burden on the health systems of the host countries. Recommendations
to improve prevention and treatment include improvement of health systems through
standard operating procedures and innovative financing schemes, balance of primary
and emergency care with expensive referral care, development of electronic cancer
registries, and securement of sustainable funding sources. Analysis of cancer care
in low-income refugee settings, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, is needed to inform
future responses.