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hildren with cancer in developing countries still face difficulties in accessing medication due to financial difficulties and efforts are urged to improve care for them.

“The health insurance coverage in developing countries is still generally low,” said Deputy Health Minister Ali Ghuffron when addressing the ongoing International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) Asia Congress at Sheraton Mustika Hotel, Yogyakarta.

The seventh edition of the meeting, which carries the theme of “Improving Quality of Care for Children with Cancer in Countries with Limited Resources”, officially commenced on Sunday.

The event also coincided the 2nd International Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parent Organizations (ICCCPO) meeting. Both events were attended by doctors, pathologists, molecular biologists, medical attendants and those cured from cancer. The participants, who came from Asian countries, shared their experiences in coping with cancer.

Ali further said the economic recession in the United States, Europe and other countries around the world, lately also had affected developing countries, with underprivileged people taking the brunt.

The number of children killed by various diseases, including cancer, has risen further, he said.

“We have developed a health insurance scheme for the underprivileged called Jamkesmas community health insurance,” said Ali.

SIOP president Gabriele Calaminus expressed hope the meeting would be able to yield a workable scheme in reducing the mortality rate of children with cancer.

“It is our goal, regardless of where we come from, to work together for an ultimate vision that no child should die from cancer,” said Calaminus.

ICCPO recorded 175,000 children from across the world diagnosed with cancer annually, 90,000 of them having failed to survive.

In developed countries, according to ICCCPO, cancer is the second largest cause of death in children.

World Child Cancer representative Benson Pau said the mortality rate of children with cancer in developing countries remained high.

Only one of 10 children with cancer could survive while a large number of them died without being diagnosed or getting standard treatment.

The condition is in contrast with the situation in developed countries.

“In developed countries, a child with cancer has an 8:10 chance of survival,” Pau said.

He added among the reasons of developing countries’ inability to curb the mortality rate was the limited number of cancer specialists and medical attendants, special cancer health centers, and lack of people’s awareness about the need for early diagnosis.