Pakistan Joins WHO Platform to Access Free Childhood Cancer Medicines
Pakistan becomes second country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to join the initiative.
Islamabad: Pakistan has signed an agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) to join the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, securing free treatment for over 8,000 children diagnosed with cancer each year.
With this move, Pakistan becomes the second country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to join the initiative, co-founded by WHO and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 2021. The platform aims to raise the national survival rate for childhood cancer from 30% to 60% by 2030, compared to rates over 80% in high-income countries.
The agreement, signed by Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and WHO Representative Dr. Dapeng Luo, will remain in force until December 2027 and may be extended. UNICEF will manage procurement and delivery of the medicines.
WHO will also provide technical and operational support to Pakistan’s health system to strengthen pediatric cancer care.
Around 400,000 children develop cancer globally each year, with 90% in low- and middle-income countries, where most lack access to essential treatment.
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