Parents of Pediatric Cancer Patients Successfully Secure State Funding for Treatment Abroad
Pediatric cancer patients in Georgia have long suffered from a lack of adequate treatment that adheres to international standards. In response to this lack of adequate care and to advocate for the 120 children on average who are diagnosed with malignant tumors in Georgia every year, parents of pediatric cancer patients formed an NGO called Childhood Cancers and Superheroes.
With support from the USAID Civil Society Engagement Program, Childhood Cancers and Superheroes has worked to increase public awareness around pediatric cancer and advocate for more effective planning of state-sponsored treatment and rehabilitation programs.
In July, the parents celebrated a great victory in their advocacy efforts. The Georgian government announced that it would begin funding pediatric cancer patients’ treatment abroad in three clinics in Turkey, Spain, and Israel. Children with cancer will no longer be solely dependent on receiving treatment from one clinic in Georgia and will be able get quality medical care abroad.
Childhood Cancers and Superheroes continues to advocate for more treatment facilities in Georgia’s regions and work to ensure that medications needed by pediatric cancer patients are approved by the relevant international agencies.
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