Around 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year and most of them live in low -income countries where medications are unaffordable or not available, resulting in an overwhelming mortality rate of 70 percent.
In high -income countries, more than eight out of 10 children who are diagnosed survive.
“The platform is now configured to close this gap“Said Dr. Andre Ilbawi, technical leader of the WHO cancer control program.
The objective of the UN Agency, which works with the Pediatric Research Center of the United States St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, is to reach 50 countries where the needs are higher, providing medications to treat 120,000 children with cancer in the next five to seven years. Although it is an ambitious objective, Dr. Ilbawi said to journalists in Geneva.
“This marks the beginning of a global movement to provide children with the medicines they needRegardless of where they live, or their ability to pay, ”he insisted thanks to the global platform for access to medicines for childhood cancer.
Great financing impulse
The launch of the platform has been possible thanks to an investment of $ 200 million per St. Jude's, which marks the greatest financial commitment ever made for medicines for childhood cancer worldwide.
The initiative is also based on the experience of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Strategic Fund of the Pan American Health Organization, which acquires and distributes the medicines. “This innovation has become a lighthouse of hope necessary for families around the world.“Dr. Ilbawi said.
The platform is not a donation program, but a joint business that involves governments, the pharmaceutical industry, non -governmental organizations and local interested parties such as hospitals.
Complex and challenging
The remaining four countries of the pilot phase that will soon receive cancer medications are Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal and Zambia. In a matter of days, El Salvador, Moldova, Senegal, Pakistan, Ghana and Sri Lanka will also join the program.
The needs of a child suffering from cancer is complex and demanding, from qualified professionals to pharmaceutical companies and communities that are ready to support a family through the traumatic diagnostic process, who explained.
But with the launch of this platform, the hopes of expanding it. “The vision of giving each child the opportunity to combat cancer, regardless of where they are born, is now becoming a reality,” said Dr. Ilbawi.
