‘50% children with cancer are out of medical services’

Bharatpur, Feb 16: Pediatric oncologist Krishna Sagar Poudel of BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Chitwan has shared that of the total cases more than 50 per cent children with cancer disease are still out of hospital’s access.

“More than 1,500 children in the country are estimated to have diagnosed with cancer every year. But, only 50 per cent of the estimates visit the hospitals. And, some 400 children with cancer visit the BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital,” he stated.

Dr Poudel said so at a programme organized at the hospital on Thursday to distribute stationeries to the children with cancer.On the occasion, he stated that 60 per cent of the childhood cancer cases visiting the BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital for treatment is cured.

He added that only 30 per cent of the childhood cancer is cured in Nepal but it could be increased upto 80 per cent given that the number of beds in the hospitals are increased and accessible treatment services are expanded. The event was organized also to aware the parents on the occasion of the International Childhood Cancer Day.

The WHO has also enlisted Nepal in its focus in the global campaign against childhood cancer.In Nepal, the government has ensured several services for free for the treatment of childhood cancer.