KATHMANDU, Oct 28: The government has decided to provide free cancer treatment for children below 14 years of age at government hospitals starting from November 16.
Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Paudel made a ministerial decision on Sunday to provide free cancer treatment for children below 14 years of age at Kanti Children's Hospital, Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital and BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital.
Vitamin 'A' and de-worming tablets being administered to childr...
According to the ministry, arrangements have been made to implement the decision from November 16. Minister Paudel took the initiative to make children’s cancer treatment free of charge soon after taking the role of the health minister.
Dr. Prakash Budhathoki, spokesperson for the ministry, said that the government will manage funds for treatment from internal resources of the ministry if the amount allocated by the government for treatment of cancer is insufficient.
Statistics show as much as 71 percent of the total deaths in Nepal are caused by non-communicable diseases. According to public statistics by the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the ministry, among the total deaths caused by non-communicable diseases, 11 percent of deaths are caused by cancer.
In 2022 alone, as many as 22,000 new cancer patients were registered by the government and 14,000 succumbed to the disease. According to the department, about 1,500 children are diagnosed with cancer every year in Nepal.
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