Pakistan to access free cancer medicines for 8,000 children annually from WHO

Islamabad: The World Health Organization (WHO) and Pakistan's Ministry of Health signed an agreement on Tuesday to formalize the country's participation in the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, aiming to provide quality-assured, free-of-cost medicines to children suffering from cancer.

According to a statement from the WHO, the agreement would bring new hope to children battling cancer in Pakistan, with a goal to increase the survival rate from 30 percent to 60 percent by 2030.

Limited access to treatment has been one of main factors behind the country's low childhood cancer survival rate, with over 8,000 new cases diagnosed annually, said the WHO.

Pakistan became the second country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to join the initiative, which was implemented in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). UNICEF is responsible for procuring and delivering the medicines to the country.

"WHO will also continue to support Pakistan's Ministry of Health and provincial authorities with the necessary technical expertise and logistical resources to combat childhood cancer," the statement added.

Pakistan's Health Minister Mustafa Kamal called it a landmark achievement for the country's cancer-affected children, saying "If we are able to save even one life through this collaboration, we are saving mankind."