This study surveyed physicians, hospital administrators, and health ministry officials in 39 developing countries to understand how the Glivec International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP), which provides free leukemia medication, affected care beyond just the drug itself. Physicians reported major improvements in service delivery, diagnosis, and patient access to care after the program launched, and many said it improved how their institutions handled other cancers and chronic diseases too.
Publication
Increasing Access to Care for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients: Assessment of a Scaling-Up Program
Ladner J, Tekinturhan E, Tavolacci MP, Audureau E, & Saba J.
Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
Published
Key Takeaways
This study surveyed physicians, hospital administrators, and health ministry officials in 39 developing countries to understand how the Glivec International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP), which provides free leukemia medication, affected care beyond just the drug itself. Physicians reported major improvements in service delivery, diagnosis, and patient access to care after the program launched, and many said it improved how their institutions handled other cancers and chronic diseases too.
- Physicians rating service delivery as good or very good jumped from about a third to over 80% after the program began, with similarly large gains in patient management and access to care.
- The majority of physicians said the program’s benefits extended beyond leukemia patients, improving how their institutions approached cancer and chronic disease care more broadly.
- Both hospital administrators and government officials pointed to gains in staff skills and cancer visibility as a health priority, though they flagged the cost of diagnostic testing as a persistent barrier.
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