July 31, 2024

By Dibbya Biswa

The Binaytara Foundation hosted the Perspectives in Global Health Series – Exploring Challenges and Solutions, featuring two distinguished speakers: Dr. Benjamin Li and Mr. Bhagirath Yogi, both outstanding professionals in the field of global health.

Dr. Benjamin Li is a radiation oncologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the University of Washington Department of Radiation Oncology. As the lead of the Global Oncology and Health Disparities Program in Radiation Oncology, he is dedicated to improving cancer care in resource limited settings globally. In addition to his practice, Dr. Li is the founder of Rayos Contra Cancer (RCC), a nonprofit organization focused on addressing the disparities in radiation therapy for cancer patients in low and middle income countries (LMICs).

In this session, Dr. Li shared his global assessment of cancer treatment, emphasizing the critical need for radiation therapy in over 50% of cancer cases. He discussed how RCC works to provide remote education and training in countries with limited resources, which have inadequate access to advanced radiation treatment technologies. He highlighted the significant shortage of radiation equipment in LMICs compared to high-income nations. According to Dr. Li, improving cancer care in these regions involves three key components: equipment access, training, and systemic improvements in healthcare infrastructure.

Firstly, he explained the importance of providing radiation equipment to underserved regions, which is an ongoing effort supported by RCC and other organizations. Secondly, Dr. Li emphasized the importance of utilizing the equipment to its full potential. RCC addresses this challenge by offering education and training programs to ensure healthcare providers can make the most of the technology available to them. Lastly, RCC focuses on supporting low-income countries in building better healthcare infrastructure, including medical records systems and referral networks. These efforts aim to create sustainable improvements in the delivery of cancer care.

Dr. Li highlighted the importance of nonprofits like RCC and the Binaytara Foundation in ensuring access to high-quality healthcare in resource limited settings. He noted that access to proper education and training is critical, as it is unfair for individuals to lack quality care due to gaps in knowledge. RCC’s education and training programs have reached over 6,000 unique participants, further underscoring the organization’s impact on global health.

Mr. Baragat Yogi, a distinguished journalist with over two decades of experience at BBC Nepal, spoke about the role of media in global health. He emphasized that the media plays a crucial role in disseminating information and raising public awareness about health issues. 

Yogi used Nepal as a case study to illustrate how the country is improving in terms of healthcare but still faces significant challenges when compared to global standards. He also noted that while Nepal’s health system is still developing, there has been an increase in media platforms promoting health related topics, helping to improve public health literacy.

Both Dr. Li and Mr. Yogi underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in global health, emphasizing the need for both medical and media driven approaches to address healthcare disparities.

The Binaytara Foundation will host similar sessions monthly at its Bellevue office with the option for viewers to attend in person or virtually via Zoom. For more information on attending, please visit our Perspectives in Global Health page. If you are interested in being a speaker, please contact Emma Robinson [email protected]