Need for National Commitments to Cancer Research to Guide Public Health Investment and Practice

This chapter is addressed primarily to potential funders of health research at the national, provincial, and state levels. Health research in general, and cancer research in particular, is not a luxury reserved for high-income countries (HICs); it is a necessity for all countries across the income spectrum. The extent and depth of that research may vary by a country’s financial situation, and the topics may vary by a country’s specific burden of cancers and associated risk factors. Nevertheless, a comprehensive health research plan is foundational to the ability to allocate resources efficiently and effectively, develop human capacity and infrastructure, and identify the appropriate technologies and medicines for health and health services delivery. In short, robust research is essential to building evidence-based cancer prevention and control programs.In recognition of the foundational nature of research, ministers and representatives of ministries of health, science and technology, agriculture, education, foreign affairs, and international cooperation from 53 countries convened in 2008 in Mali at the Bamako Global Ministerial Forum on Research in Health. Of the 53 participating countries, 38 were low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to World Bank criteria. The group issued its Call to Action, which articulates the rationale for supporting research to inform public policy, and sent the Call to Action to the World Health Organization (WHO 2008). The Call to Action recommends that national governments allocate at least 2 percent of the budgets of ministries of health to research and that international development agencies invest at least 5 percent of development assistance funds earmarked for the health sector in research. Box 15.1 highlights many of the principles applicable to cancer research.Subsequent white papers and policy statements have made clear the importance of research on noncommunicable diseases and cancer to guide public policy and public investment (See Annotated Select Bibliography).