On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled a new platform that provides free cancer treatments for thousands of children in low- and middle-income countries, aiming to improve poor survival rates.
The first shipments of medicines were sent to Mongolia and Uzbekistan, with future deliveries planned for Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal, and Zambia, marking the start of the project’s pilot phase. This initiative is expected to benefit around 5,000 children with cancer this year, across at least 30 hospitals in these six countries.
According to the WHO, these countries will receive a continuous supply of high-quality childhood cancer medications at no cost.
Childhood cancer survival rates in lower-income nations are often below 30%, in contrast to around 80% in wealthier countries. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that for too long, children in these regions have been denied access to life-saving medications.
An additional six countries have been invited to join the platform, which aims to expand to 50 countries over the next five to seven years, serving approximately 120,000 children.
The WHO highlighted that each year, about 400,000 children worldwide are diagnosed with cancer, most of them in resource-poor environments. Unfortunately, around 70% of these children die due to factors like inadequate treatment, treatment interruptions, and substandard medications.
The WHO assures that the free medicine supply will extend beyond the pilot phase, with plans for long-term sustainability. The platform was first announced in December 2021 and is a collaboration between the WHO and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. St. Jude has pledged $200 million to support the platform’s launch.
AFP
