Clinical Oncology

Global collaborations in education, care, research, and governance are essential for building sustainable and affordable national cancer control planning. Three-quarters of the 10 million global cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where resources are often the most constrained [1]. Whilst systems strengthening across the cancer care continuum is a necessity to improve cancer outcomes, other factors will be imperative, such as the development of cancer intelligence and, most importantly, political will. Furthermore, to advance global cancer control, education and training, research, clinical practice, and advocacy initiatives are critical components of developing a health workforce. Collaborations between LMICs and high-income countries (HICs) may increase the efficiency of these initiatives through opportunities for shared learning and experience, technology transfer, and the creation of sustainable equal multidisciplinary partnerships [2]. A Canadian scoping review of oncology training and education initiatives in LMICs reported that almost all the projects it identified were done in partnership with an organisation from a high-income country [1]. The UK has a long history of global health outreach, predominantly focused on communicable diseases. Much has been written on the nature of impactful collaborations improving health with core values including shared vision with mutual respect, humility, clear leadership, trust, and flexibility. These relationships include reciprocal learning amongst other positive experiences that have been shown to have affirmative ramifications for UK health workers, improving staff morale, leadership skills, and resourcefulness, and de facto, the NHS [3]. The UK’s health system is also enriched by the diaspora community, which brings many strengths to the NHS, including diversity, skills and expertise, multilingualism, community engagement, and innovation. These strengths are invaluable in improving healthcare outcomes for patients and creating a more inclusive and effective healthcare system. The founding constitution of NHS services that access to healthcare is based on clinical need, not an individual’s ability to pay [4] must remain the global aim for fair, equitable cancer care. In the decades since its inception in 1948, the NHS has pioneered ‘universalising the best’ ensuring universal health coverage (UHC) with no tiered access to services, which promotes the homogenous delivery of highvalue-cost-effective practices across the nation [5]. The NHS model remains a strong and trusted export, and given the global impact of cancer, UK aid funding may better promote security and economic growth through NHS led initiatives and collaborations. Specifically in the field of oncology, collab