Lahore: A joint team from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the World Health Organization visited Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Lahore to review systems for the handling of childhood cancer medicines, as Pakistan moves to operationalise its participation in a global platform aimed at improving access to life saving treatment for children with cancer.
The visiting team, comprising representatives from St Jude, WHO Pakistan, WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) and WHO headquarters in Geneva, assessed procedures ranging from the receipt and storage of chemotherapy medicines to their preparation, administration to patients and safe disposal of hazardous waste.
The review was conducted as part of the assessment process under the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, which is being rolled out across 50 countries.
Dr Asum Begaumi, Regional Hub Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, said the assessments were focused on system strengthening and adherence to minimum operational standards across partner institutions.
“We are looking at system improvements, from the arrival of chemotherapy to the patient, so that all partners follow a minimum set of standards. Many institutions like Shaukat Khanum are already there and beyond,” he said.
Pakistan formally joined the global platform in July 2025 through an agreement with the World Health Organization to secure free and quality assured cancer medicines for children. Under the arrangement, UNICEF will support procurement and supply, while WHO will provide technical and operational assistance to participating facilities.
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal had said at the time of the signing that the initiative aims to benefit around 8,000 children diagnosed with cancer in Pakistan each year by improving access to essential medicines.
According to international cancer registries and global estimates, around 400,000 children develop cancer annually worldwide, with nearly 90 percent of cases occurring in low and middle income countries. Survival rates in many of these settings remain below 30 percent, compared to over 80 percent for several childhood cancers in high income countries, largely due to differences in timely diagnosis and access to quality assured treatment.
Pakistan does not yet have a comprehensive national childhood cancer registry, but hospital based data indicate that between 6,000 to 10,000 new paediatric cancer cases are reported annually, with leukaemias, lymphomas and brain tumours among the most commonly diagnosed malignancies in children. Health officials say interruptions in medicine supply and uneven capacity across treatment centres remain key challenges.
Officials involved in the programme said similar assessments would be carried out at other selected facilities as Pakistan moves towards implementation of the global platform, with the aim of strengthening supply chains and standardising handling of childhood cancer medicines across participating hospitals.
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