Kathmandu, 13 Jul: Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Paudel has announced that rare and essential medicines used in cancer treatment will now be made available free of cost in Nepal.
To address the problem of patients being forced to seek treatment abroad due to unavailability of such medicines in Nepal, Minister Paudel, through a special initiative, secured a commitment from the international charity Direct Relief to donate 37 types of cancer medicines. The first batch has already arrived in Nepal.
Previously, Minister Paudel had made the decision to distribute these medicines free of charge through government hospitals.
Speaking at a handover ceremony organized to officially transfer the donation sent by Direct Relief via One Heart Worldwide, Minister Paudel shared that the effort was aimed at reducing the burden on cancer patients who otherwise had to incur high costs for treatment abroad due to the unavailability of medication in Nepal. He emphasized that this success came after extensive effort and coordination.
According to Minister Paudel, Direct Relief has agreed to continue providing these rare and expensive medications—used for treating breast cancer, skin cancer, and other forms of the disease—for the next five years, based on Nepal’s needs.
“High costs of cancer medication are a major burden on low-income patients,” said Paudel. “We are trying to provide relief to many citizens without additional state investment.”
Although 37 types of medications have arrived and more will follow in phases, efforts are underway to include additional essential cancer drugs in future support. “We will work to expand the list so that more patients can benefit,” he added.
Minister Paudel also confirmed that arrangements have already been made to dispatch these medicines immediately to government cancer hospitals.
Highlighting the lack of public awareness about existing health services and insurance schemes, the minister called on the media to prioritize dissemination of such information so that citizens can access the services available to them.
Dr. Bhim Sapkota, Chief of the Ministry’s Coordination Division, stated that an agreement has been reached to supply the medicines according to Nepal’s requirements for five years.
Surya Bhatt, Nepal Representative of One Heart Worldwide, said this was a significant achievement for Nepal and credited Minister Paudel’s personal efforts for making the donation possible.
According to Dr. Prakash Budhathoki, spokesperson for the Ministry, the donated medicines and health supplies—used for conditions including breast cancer, plaque psoriasis, and Alzheimer’s disease—will be provided free of cost to cancer patients through four designated hospitals.
The medicines and supplies have already been distributed to:
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BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, Bharatpur
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Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, Bhaktapur
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Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital, Banke
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Bir Hospital, Kathmandu
