Thanks to support from the Government of Kuwait – US$ 5.5 million in 2014 and US$ 21.2 million in 2013, for health actions inside Syria – the World Health Organization (WHO) has supported three hospitals, including the Children Hospital, with cancer medicines for children with almost 10,000 treatments.
“The generous funding provided by the Government of Kuwait has permitted WHO to provide medical assistance that has been used to save lives and reduce the suffering of tens of thousands of Syrians,” says WHO Representative to Syria Elizabeth Hoff.
Hoff adds that providing medicines for children with cancer at an earlier stage will improve the prognosis of the disease, reduce mobility and the threat of the illness developing into an advanced stage, where the cure rate is lower than 40%, and the treatment is more expensive.
In March 2015, Kuwait will host the third donors pledging conference to raise funds for humanitarian relief for Syria. WHO requires over US$ 116 million to respond to the escalating needs inside the war-torn country. “Substantial support is necessary to victims of the conflict,” Hoff says.
Further financing is needed if access to life-saving treatment is to be expanded and pain is to be eased. Unless the situation changes, children with cancer in Syria have little chance of receiving the needed treatment.
Read the full report on the WHO website.
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