Medications for Children`s Oncological Units

Dear Friend,

We are infinitely grateful for your help with our wards and would like you to know more about how your support works. Today, we will share additional information about how pediatric oncology treatment is funded in Ukraine, why there is still a need for medications, and how children receive them thanks to your donations.

Thanks to the rapid development of healthcare, the survival rate of children with oncological diagnoses in high-income countries has increased to 80-95%. Unfortunately, this percentage is still lower in Ukraine. Before the full-scale invasion, it was estimated to be around 60-70%. However, war-related challenges significantly limit children's access to proper treatment, consequently reducing their chances of recovery.

Medication – Aid's most important part

Timely protocol treatment with quality medicine is a necessary precondition for recovery. Nowadays, in Ukraine, there are several regulated sources for providing medicine to those children fighting cancer. The state procures the largest and most expensive part. Centralized medical purchases for pediatric oncology occur annually within the so-called nomenclature — a list of essential medications.

The second source is the hospital budget, formed through payments for medical services provided by the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU). Apart from the income for services provided by the NHSU (the state) and payments for commercial services, the hospital budget may include additional local funding.

So why is there still a need for medications? 

Unfortunately, even the combination of such sources does not cover all the needs for high-quality pediatric cancer treatment.

The aforementioned nomenclature (the list of medications centrally procured by the state) has not been updated for three years already. During this time, new effective medications have emerged. State procurements do not cover them and they are usually very expensive. Adding extra items to the vocabulary is very difficult because the medication must undergo a health technology assessment process. Manufacturers often refuse to go through this process, as the Ukrainian market, with a relatively small cohort of children with oncological diseases, is economically unattractive to them.

Due to a limited budget, this year, the field of pediatric oncology will be funded by centralized medical procurements only by 72%.

As for hospital budgets, the tariffs within the oncology and hematology packages of NHSU medical guarantees have not been reviewed for more than three years. Funding from regional or city budgets depends on many factors and may be missing or insufficient.

What happens if the hospital does not have the necessary medications?

If doctors prescribe medications that are not available in the hospital, the child's parents are forced to look for them on their own. The help of the Tabletochki, with the support of donors like you, often becomes crucial in such situations.

After the family's request and consultation with independent medical experts regarding the expediency of the prescriptions, the fund purchases the necessary medications.

Treating pediatric cancer comes with many challenges, especially during the war, when funding for this area moves to the background. That is why, together with you, we are doing everything possible to ensure that, despite everything, children receive high-quality treatment and recover.

Thank you for being here for the children. Together, we are defeating pediatric cancer