Peru: A Model That Could Transform How Latin America Tackles Women's Cancer
Right now, somewhere in Peru, a woman is waiting for her test results.
She does not yet know whether she has cancer. If the diagnosis is confirmed, what happens over the following weeks—who receives the results, how long it takes to secure an appointment, who refers her to specialist care, and whether anyone follows up—may have as much influence on her chances of survival as the disease itself.
She has no name in this story, yet she represents millions of women across Peru today. And ultimately, she is the reason why Movement Health Foundation has spent the past year working alongside Peru's public health system to develop a model that could become a reference for the rest of Latin America.
A New Opportunity for Women's Health Across the Andean Region
Peru is home to 17.29 million women, representing 50.6% of the country's population (National Census 2025, INEI).
Each year, 72,827 new cancer cases are diagnosed, and 35,934 people die from the disease. Another 185,370 people are currently living with a cancer diagnosis (GLOBOCAN 2022, IARC/WHO).
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Peruvian women, with 7,797 new cases every year. Cervical cancer accounts for 4,809 new cases and 2,545 deaths annually.
In the Arequipa region, approximately eight out of every ten women diagnosed with breast cancer are identified at an advanced stage (Stage III or IV), when treatment options become more limited and survival rates decline significantly.
Across the six member countries of the Andean Health Organization (ORAS-CONHU)—Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela—more than 63,000 women are diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer every year, while over 23,000 lose their lives to these diseases.
Too often, the problem is not simply the availability of treatment. It is that somewhere between screening, referral, diagnosis and treatment, the health system loses track of the patient.
Why Peru? Why Women's Cancer?
Movement Health Foundation works to scale proven digital solutions that improve outcomes for people living with non-communicable diseases.
Its role is to bridge the gap between innovations that have proven successful in pilot settings and solutions capable of saving lives at scale. It also connects the strengths that already exist within public health systems with the opportunities offered by digital innovation to make care more efficient, more coordinated and more people-centred.
In Peru, breast and cervical cancer were chosen as the Foundation's demonstration case because they clearly expose three systemic challenges that digital innovation can help address: late diagnosis, fragmented care pathways and disconnected health information that should guide clinical and administrative decision-making.
"The greatest challenge in cancer care in Peru is no longer detecting more cases. It is ensuring that every woman completes her entire care journey."— Bogi Eliasen, Chief Executive Officer, Movement Health Foundation
A Partnership Built on Trust, Not Another Pilot
Movement Health Foundation's work in Peru did not begin with an institutional visit or a public announcement. It began by building long-term relationships with the people and institutions already committed to transforming cancer care.
In 2025, our director travelled to Peru with a clear objective: to gain a deep understanding of how the country's health system operates and identify the public and private partners capable of sustaining a long-term continuity of care initiative. That work laid the foundation for a collaboration that today brings together regional governments, healthcare institutions, international organizations and private-sector partners.
Key milestones include the collaboration agreement signed with the Regional Government of Lambayeque in February 2025, followed by a partnership with the Regional Government of Arequipa and a cooperation framework with Peru's National Cancer Institute (INEN), designed to strengthen knowledge exchange and align national priorities in cancer care. Movement Health Foundation did not come to Peru to build a parallel system. It came to strengthen the one that already exists.
Working with Regional Governments to Scale Innovation
Between 2024 and 2025, Movement Health Foundation worked alongside the Regional Governments of Arequipa and Lambayeque to implement a pilot programme focused on strengthening early detection and continuity of care for women with breast and cervical cancer.
- 29% increase in breast cancer screening in Lambayeque.
- 27% increase in cervical cancer screening in Arequipa.
- More than 49,000 people reached through community awareness and early detection campaigns across both regions.
Perhaps more importantly, the model has now been institutionalised within public healthcare facilities in both regions. This means the new processes no longer depend on the Foundation's day-to-day presence. Instead, they have become part of the way the public health system operates, helping ensure that more women remain connected to care throughout their treatment journey.
The Technology: A Digital Health Wallet to Ensure No Woman Is Lost to Follow-Up
At the heart of the project is the Digital Health Wallet. It is not another health app, nor is it a parallel system competing with the public healthcare network. It is a digital tool designed to make every patient's care journey visible, connected and measurable.
When a screening result is abnormal, the Digital Health Wallet records the result, documents the referral to the next level of care, supports case follow-up and confirms whether the patient ultimately received the treatment she needed.
With a unique patient identifier, one woman and one shared health record, screening becomes connected to diagnosis, diagnosis to treatment, and treatment to follow-up. For the first time, the health system can verify whether a woman has actually completed her care journey instead of simply assuming she has.
"Technology does not save lives on its own. It saves lives when it strengthens health systems and keeps people at the centre." — Bogi Eliasen
Peru: The First Spanish-Speaking Country to Join the HealthAI Framework
What distinguishes this initiative from an isolated intervention is the ecosystem of institutions supporting it. In January 2026, Movement Health Foundation facilitated the agreement between HealthAI and Peru's Ministry of Health, making Peru the first Spanish-speaking country to join the HealthAI Global Regulatory Network and strengthening its capacity for the responsible governance of artificial intelligence in healthcare.
Together with ORAS-CONHU, the Foundation also helped establish a regional collaboration platform to promote the exchange of digital health solutions, technical knowledge and best practices across the Andean countries.
The next milestone will be the launch of the Andean Health Innovation and Research Laboratory, created as part of the Lima Declaration 2026, adopted by the six Andean countries during the XL Meeting of Andean Ministers of Health (REMSAA).
These developments come at a particularly important moment for Peru. The country continues to advance in its accession process to the OECD, making significant progress across multiple sectors. Healthcare has been recognised as one of the strongest areas of reform, reflecting Peru's commitment to institutional strengthening and the modernisation of its health system.
A Global Commitment in Action
In 2024, Movement Health Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative launched a Commitment to Action aimed at accelerating early detection of breast and cervical cancer in Peru and South Africa, with the goal of benefiting 50,000 women and their communities during the first phase of implementation.
What Comes Next
The work in Peru continues. The next phase will focus on consolidating the model developed in Arequipa and Lambayeque, expanding its reach and strengthening the health system's capacity to support more women throughout their entire care journey.
Partner with us!
No single organisation can solve today's healthcare challenges alone. Reducing cancer mortality and strengthening continuity of care require collaboration across sectors.
The woman who opened this story is still waiting for her results. What happens next depends on whether the health system can guide her from screening to diagnosis, from diagnosis to treatment, and through follow-up.
If you share our vision, we invite you to join us in building a future where no woman is lost along the care journey.
