Kathmandu, 17 February: Medicines used in the treatment of cancer for children have been brought. Nepal received the first batch of essential medicines for the treatment of cancer in children under the ‘Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines’ on Sunday.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr. Prakash Budhathoki, informed that 10 types of medicines have been brought in the first batch. The World Health Organization Nepal Office has stated that more than 2,300 packs of cancer medicines used in children have arrived in Nepal.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Nepal Office has procured the medicines in coordination with ‘St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’. The medicines have been provided to Nepal free of charge.
The Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines was established in 2021 as a joint initiative of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and WHO to ensure access to life-saving medicines for children suffering from cancer around the world. The government has announced that cancer treatment for children under the age of 14 will be free from four hospitals, effective from November 1.
Children undergoing treatment at Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, Kanti Children’s Hospital, Patan Institute of Health Sciences and Bharatpur Cancer Hospital will receive these medicines free of charge, informed the ministry’s spokesperson Dr. Budhathoki. According to the WHO, about 900 new children are diagnosed with cancer in Nepal every year. It is said that due to shortage of medicines and various challenges, only one-third of children receive proper treatment.
In 2020, Nepal was included in the WHO’s ‘Global Initiative for Childhood’ on Cancer. In 2022, Nepal became one of the six countries selected to participate in the Global Platform and the only country in the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organization.
The Ministry of Health signed a memorandum of understanding to operate the program in March 2024. According to the agreement, Nepal will receive 35 types of essential quality medicines free of charge for five years for the treatment of childhood cancer.
According to WHO, the survival rate of children with cancer in Nepal is currently less than 30 percent, while in high-income countries the rate is more than 80 percent.
