Bhaktapur, 19 November: Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital has started free cancer treatment service for children below 14 years of age. Acting Executive Director of the hospital, Dr. Ujjwal Chalise, informed that the hospital has started all cancer treatment services for children below 14 years of age from this 17th of November 2024.
Health and Population Minister Pradeep Paudel made a ministerial decision on October 27 to provide free cancer treatment for children under 14 years of age in government hospitals, and the hospital implemented the decision. The government had decided to provide such services free of cost in Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital Bhaktapur, Kanti Children’s Hospital Kathmandu and BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital Bharatpur Chitwan among government hospitals. After Paudel was appointed as the Minister of Health and Population, he started an initiative to provide free cancer treatment services to children under 14 years of age.
Director of the hospital, Dr. Chalise said, “According to the government’s policy, Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital has started this service for the first time in Nepal from the 2nd of last year. Health Minister Pradeep Paudel is officially inaugurating it on Wednesday. Now there will be no situation where children die due to lack of money due to lack of treatment. Our hospital provides continuous services. .” Rajaram Tajle, the senior administrative head of the hospital, said that while the number of cancer patients is increasing, various cancer diseases are also increasing in children and said that now about 60 children with cancer are coming to Bhaktapur cancer Hospital for treatment. He said that the hospital has started all free treatment services as per the policy of the ministry.
Along with the treatment of children’s cancer, 35 types of medicines needed in the treatment of cancer will be provided free of charge. On March 27, 2024, the Ministry of Health and Population entered into an agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) to receive free medicines for the treatment of cancer in children. According to the statistics of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the Ministry, more than two-thirds of the total deaths in Nepal, i.e. 71 percent, are caused by non-communicable diseases and 11 percent of them die due to cancer.
In Nepal, 22,000 new cancer patients were diagnosed in 2022, more than 14,000 people lost their lives and every year around 1,500 children are diagnosed with cancer. The ministry has decided to provide this treatment free of charge to save the lives of children with cancer so that they do not die due to lack of family finances.
Data of worldwide
Cancer is a leading cause of death among children worldwide, but survival rates vary significantly by region due to disparities in access to healthcare. Globally:
- Approximately 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
- The mortality rate varies greatly:
- In high-income countries, about 80% of children survive five years or more after a cancer diagnosis due to advanced treatment and early detection.
- In low- and middle-income countries, survival rates can be as low as 20%, leading to a higher number of deaths.
While exact figures for annual childhood cancer deaths are challenging to pinpoint, estimates suggest that tens of thousands of children die from cancer every year, with a disproportionate burden in resource-poor settings. Early detection, improved access to care, and equitable treatment are essential to reducing these numbers.
