( CNN ) -- Former President George W. Bush is visiting Zambia to promote a health initiative that focuses on cervical and breast cancer prevention and treatment . In the city of Kabwe , Bush worked with local residents Saturday to refurbish a clinic used to screen , diagnose and treat cervical cancer . Bush heads to the capital of Lusaka , where he will designate a cancer center at a university teaching hospital and meet with governmental and health care leaders . He will then travel to Botswana to launch a similar program aimed at combating cancer . The trip to both nations -- which ends Thursday -- is part of the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon initiative spearheaded by his foundation that seeks to expand cervical and breast cancer screening , and treatment in sub-Saharan Africa . Cancer in Africa is an emerging global concern . The continent has an acute shortage of experts such as oncologists , and lacks infrastructure and data to combat the disease , exacerbating the concern . Bush and former first lady Laura Bush have previously visited the continent as part of his foundation 's health initiative . In a 2008 trip to Tanzania , they highlighted U.S. initiatives to combat HIV/AIDS , malaria and poverty during a trip to five African nations that included Rwanda and Benin . `` Different people may have different views about you and your administration and your legacy , '' Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said at the time . `` You , Mr. President , and your administration , have been good friends of our country and have been good friends of Africa . '' As president , Bush introduced an emergency AIDS program that saved millions of lives in Africa by providing antiretroviral drugs . Analysts have said that his health initiatives offer a chance to make the case that his legacy on foreign policy should not be judged on the Iraq war alone .
Cancer is emerging as a global concern in Africa . The continent has an acute shortage of experts such as oncologists . In the United States, cancer treatment costs are rising at twice the rate of inflation, according to new data from IMS Health and Oxford University Hospitals.