ISLAMABAD: Four hospitals in Pakistan are completing preparations to begin receiving free childhood cancer medicines before the end of 2026 under an agreement between Pakistan and the World Health Organization (WHO) aimed at improving access to quality treatment for children diagnosed with cancer.
The initiative is being implemented through the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, under which international experts conducted assessment missions to participating hospitals. A first mission visited facilities in August 2025, while a second delegation assessed seven additional centres from January 30 to February 6, 2026. These seven facilities are expected to complete technical requirements and become ready to receive supplies in 2027.
WHO and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital experts also visited Noori Hospital in Islamabad in February to review preparations and provide technical recommendations ahead of medicine delivery. The programme seeks to eventually ensure that all hospitals treating childhood cancer in Pakistan can provide free, quality-assured medicines.
Pakistan formally joined the Global Platform on July 29, 2025, through an agreement between WHO and the Federal Ministry of Health, becoming the second country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to participate in the initiative, which was co-founded in 2021 by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and WHO. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will handle procurement and delivery of medicines to the country.
Officials say the programme could significantly improve outcomes for children with cancer in Pakistan, where more than 8,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The initiative aims to raise survival rates from about 30 percent to 60 percent by 2030, addressing limited access to treatment that has historically contributed to lower survival compared to about 80 percent in higher-income countries.
In addition to supplying medicines, the programme will provide technical guidance, operational support, and system-strengthening assistance to federal and provincial health authorities to improve childhood cancer services nationwide.
WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Luo Dapeng said every child has the right to quality cancer treatment regardless of financial status or location, adding that the organization is committed to working with Pakistan and partners to expand access and save lives.
Globally, an estimated 400,000 children develop cancer each year, with nearly 90 percent living in low- and middle-income countries where survival rates remain below 30 percent, largely due to limited access to treatment and essential medicines.
