Free cancer treatment for children under 14 at public hospitals

Kathmandu, Oct 27: Now the government will provide cancer treatment to children under 14 for free of cost in the designated public hospitals.

As per the decision made by Minister for Health and Population, Pradip Paudel, on Sunday, the facility could be received from Kanti Children Hospital, Kathmandu; Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, Bhaktapur; and BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, Bharatpur, Chitwan.

The decision, to be effective from November 16 this year, is expected to relieve the financial burden of the parents of cancer suffering children. This initiative is one of the top priorities outlined by Minister Paudel as soon as he assumed the office, according to the Ministry. 

Ministry's Spokesperson Dr Prakash Budhathoki shared that if the amount to be provided by the government for the treatment is insufficient, the Ministry will make arrangement for additional funding from the Ministry's internal sources.

According to the statistics of the Ministry's Division of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, 71 per cent of deaths in Nepal are attributed to non-communicable diseases, with cancer accounting for 11 per cent of those deaths.

The country recorded 22,000 new cancer patients in 2022. Among them 14,000 died due to cancer, the statistic revealed. Every year around 1,500 children are diagnosed with cancer, according to the Ministry. (RSS)