Ugandan health tech pioneer Chil Group has officially launched its flagship initiative: Global Cancer Tele-Oncology for All. This hybrid tele-oncology project combines physical screening camps in remote areas with real-time remote consultations from international oncologists, creating a seamless end-to-end pathway from diagnosis to treatment for underserved populations in Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya.
The announcement comes at a critical time when cancer incidence in sub-Saharan Africa is rising rapidly, yet access to specialized care remains woefully inadequate—particularly in rural communities where patients often face exhausting, expensive journeys to urban centers or simply go undiagnosed.
Chil Group, led by award-winning entrepreneur and medical doctor Dr. Shamim Nabuuma, is leveraging AI-enabled platforms, secure telemedicine infrastructure, and strategic partnerships to bridge the “last mile” in oncology. Despite falling short of its initial $500,000 fundraising goal (raising $310,000), the organization has pushed ahead with implementation, backed by key supporters including global consumer health giant Reckitt.
Dr. Shamim Nabuuma, Chief Executive Officer of Chil Group, issued a passionate call to action in the launch statement:
“We are not just testing; we are connecting. Through the Global Cancer Tele-Oncology for All project, we are ensuring that no patient is left confused or abandoned after a positive test result. We are issuing an urgent global call for oncologists and cancer physicians who are ready to make a tangible, life-saving impact from wherever they are in the world. These specialists will become the vital bridge between diagnosis and treatment for thousands of patients who would otherwise fall through the cracks.”
The project emphasizes flexibility for volunteering specialists—no mandatory commitment per session or country, fully remote participation via high-quality secure platforms, and zero administrative burden. Chil Group is handling all temporary licensing and regulatory clearances directly with authorities in Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya.
Key funding acknowledgments highlight corporate and community support:
- A major contribution came from Reckitt, which redirected winnings from the 2024 Celonis Game Changer Community Inspiration Award to fuel the campaign.
Confirmed 2026 Tele-oncology E-Camp Schedule (mid-2026 rollout):
| Country | Dates | Registration Method |
| Uganda | June 15, 2026 August 19, 2026 | Online portal |
| Rwanda | September 07, 2026 | Email: info@ketiai.tech |
| Kenya | To be announced shortly | Email: info@ketiai.tech |
Oncologists interested in volunteering are urged to register immediately to secure spots.
Why it matters
Cancer is no longer just a high-income country crisis. In sub-Saharan Africa, new cases are projected to nearly double by 2040, driven by population growth, aging, and lifestyle changes. Yet the region bears a disproportionately high mortality burden—up to 70-80% of cases are diagnosed at late stages, compared to under 50% in high-income nations.
The core problem this initiative solves: extreme maldistribution of oncology expertise.
Data presented at the 2025 ESMO Congress revealed that 92.2% of the global oncology workforce is concentrated in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Of the remaining 7.8%, the vast majority cluster in urban hubs, leaving rural patients in East Africa facing:
- Delayed or missed diagnoses due to lack of local pathologists and specialists.
- Travel distances of hundreds of kilometers to facilities like Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala or Kenya’s Kenyatta National Hospital.
- Out-of-pocket costs that push families into catastrophic expenditure or force them to abandon care.
- Five-year survival rates for common cancers (e.g., breast, cervical) that are often half—or less—of those in Europe or North America.
Studies underscore the crisis:
- Uganda has roughly one clinical oncologist per 1-2 million people in rural areas.
- Rwanda and Kenya have experimented with task-shifting to general practitioners, but scalable specialist access remains limited.
- WHO reports show only a handful of African countries have regular breast cancer screening programs, with oncology nurse ratios as dire as 1:600,000 in some nations.
Chil Group’s hybrid model—physical sample collection and vitals at local health facilities + real-time remote interpretation and consultation—directly attacks these barriers. By facilitating immediate referrals to partnered government and private cancer centers, it closes the dangerous gap between “positive result” and “treatment started” that dooms thousands annually.
In an era where telemedicine exploded during COVID-19 (e.g., virtual tumor boards in Rwanda and diaspora-led e-consultations), this project represents a mature, regulated evolution: turning “brain drain” into “brain circulation” by mobilizing global oncologists without requiring relocation.
