New program

WHO finances cancer drugs for 5000 children

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a program to provide thousands of children suffering from cancer with medication. The first deliveries have been sent to Mongolia and Uzbekistan, the organization announced on Tuesday.

Further deliveries are initially planned for Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal and Zambia. Around 5000 children suffering from cancer are to benefit from the program this year. They will receive quality-tested children's cancer drugs free of charge and without any gaps.

The aim is to increase the survival rate of children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries. According to the WHO, this is less than 30 percent in some cases, whereas the survival rate in high-income countries is around 80 percent.

After a pilot phase, a total of 50 other countries are to follow and 120,000 children are to be provided with the necessary medication. The time frame for this is five to seven years.

Worldwide, around 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year. In poorer countries in particular, 70 percent of those affected die, partly due to a lack of appropriate treatment with medication or because treatment is interrupted for cost reasons.