MedAccess and Elekta, a global leader in precision radiation therapy equipment and software, today launched a partnership to provide an innovative pay-per-use model for radiotherapy treatment for cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The partnership is the first of its kind for cancer care in Africa.
Access to radiotherapy machines in Africa is severely limited. One barrier countries face is financing the up-front capital cost for equipment. Additionally, many health centres lack trained staff to operate and maintain the machines.
The pay-per-use model helps mitigate these barriers by enabling countries to move from purchasing standalone equipment to acquiring a comprehensive package that includes both the equipment and ongoing service and maintenance. Under this model, countries make an initial payment for the equipment, with additional payments tied to actual machine usage for patient treatment. MedAccess will provide a volume guarantee to Elekta for successfully placed machines if the pay-per-use model would be requested by the governments of Kenya and Tanzania, covering potential shortfalls in the number of patients using the machines each year.
“Our collaboration with Elekta marks a significant milestone in our mission to make healthcare more accessible, particularly in Africa,” said Michael Anderson, MedAccess CEO. “For the first time, MedAccess has provided an innovative finance product specifically to tackle a non-communicable disease. Using our volume guarantee to support the introduction of a pay-per-use model for radiotherapy, we are unlocking new opportunities for patients in underserved communities to receive the treatment they deserve.”
“We are thrilled to partner with MedAccess to facilitate market entry and bring advanced radiation therapy infrastructure and solutions to regions where they are most needed,” said Habib Nehme, Elekta’s Chief Commercial Officer. “This innovative financial model will enable us to reach more patients with the highest quality of care while ensuring profitable and sustainable treatments.”
“New radiotherapy machines will do a lot of justice for our society and community because it means that patients will have less travelling time and less waiting time, so we can improve on survival outcomes,” said Dr Abeid Athman, Clinical Oncologist at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital (KUTRRH). “If we can resolve the systemic delay in treatment by having the right ratio of human resource and number of machines, I think we’ll be doing a lot of justice.”
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimates that 1.15 million cancer diagnoses were made in Africa in 2022, with more than 750,000 deaths. IARC predicts that cancer incidence in Africa will more than double to over 2.4 million by 2045.
Access to radiotherapy is a significant challenge in Africa:
- Despite an estimated 50-70% of cancer patients requiring radiotherapy as part of their treatment, only 32 out of 54 African countries had any access to radiotherapy technology in 2020.
- Tanzania has just seven radiotherapy machines to serve a population of almost 68 million. The UK, with a similar sized population, has approximately 350 machines.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency recommends that countries should have one radiotherapy machine per 250,000 population. To meet this ratio, Africa would need 5,600 radiotherapy machines.
Radiotherapy is a common treatment for nearly all types of cancer, including brain tumours, head and neck cancers, lung, breast, prostate, skin, rectal, cervix and uterine cancers. It works by using high energy radiation beams that damage the DNA of cancer cells, preventing them from dividing, or killing them entirely. The aim of radiotherapy treatments is to maximise the dose delivered to the target, while minimising exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.
Innovative finance for an innovative model
By covering potential shortfalls in the number of patients using the machines each year, MedAccess’ volume guarantee supports the expansion of the all-inclusive model. This enables Elekta to supply and maintain radiotherapy equipment with greater confidence and allows health facilities to deliver uninterrupted critical care to more patients. The partnership makes radiotherapy services more accessible and sustainable in low- and middle-income countries.
Several countries, including Kenya and Tanzania, are reviewing plans to expand access to radiotherapy treatment. MedAccess believes adopting a pay-per-use model can be a valuable and strategic option for countries to consider.
