ISLAMABAD – A major push to improve childhood cancer care in Pakistan is gaining momentum as the World Health Organization (WHO) strengthens its partnership with the country to expand access to quality-assured medicines and improve survival prospects for thousands of children.
Marking Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, WHO has reaffirmed its commitment to helping Pakistan ensure that children diagnosed with cancer can receive timely and effective treatment regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.
More than 8,000 children are diagnosed with cancer in Pakistan every year, making early detection and uninterrupted treatment critical to improving outcomes.
The WHO says many childhood cancers can be cured with appropriate treatment, including generic medicines, surgery and radiotherapy.
Globally, an estimated 400,000 children develop cancer each year. While more than 80% of children with cancer are cured in high-income countries, survival remains below 30% in most low- and middle-income countries, largely reflecting differences in access to timely diagnosis, quality medicines and comprehensive cancer services.
Pakistan is now taking concrete steps to narrow this gap through the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, a joint initiative of WHO and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Under an agreement with Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, the programme will provide quality-assured childhood cancer medicines free of charge.
The initiative is already moving into its implementation phase.
Four Pakistani hospitals are working with WHO to complete the final preparations required before receiving the medicines, with the process expected to conclude between the end of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027.
A further seven hospitals are expected to implement WHO’s technical recommendations during 2027, enabling them to prepare for medicine supplies.
The ultimate goal is ambitious: to make free, quality-assured childhood cancer medicines available at all hospitals providing cancer treatment to children across Pakistan.
Pakistan formally joined the Global Platform on July 29, 2025, becoming the second country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to participate in the programme.
Established in 2021 by WHO and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the platform was created to establish a dependable supply of certified childhood cancer medicines for low- and middle-income countries.
The programme works alongside the PAHO Strategic Fund and UNICEF, with UNICEF responsible for procuring the medicines and arranging their delivery to Pakistan.
The partnership is designed to ensure that a child’s chances of receiving cancer treatment are not determined by household income.
One of the most significant ambitions of the programme is to help increase Pakistan’s childhood cancer survival rate from around 30% to 60% by 2030.
WHO’s support goes beyond medicine distribution. The organization is also working with Pakistan’s federal and provincial health authorities, providing technical guidance, resources and operational assistance to strengthen childhood cancer services.
The programme aims to build stronger treatment systems, improve hospital preparedness and enhance the overall quality and availability of cancer care for children.
WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Luo Dapeng said advances in medical science have made childhood cancer curable in many cases, provided children receive diagnosis and sustained treatment at the right time.
He emphasized that every child affected by cancer should have the opportunity to recover and pursue a healthy future, irrespective of socioeconomic status, location or background.
The latest initiative marks a significant step in Pakistan’s efforts to expand access to childhood cancer treatment, with WHO and its partners continuing to work toward a system in which quality medicines and essential cancer care are accessible to children who need them most.
