Nepal runs out of cancer medicines after supplies halted citing high costs
Summary
Nepal faces an acute shortage of essential platinum-based chemotherapy medicines like cisplatin and carboplatin due to price cap regulations, causing difficulties for cancer patients and prompting calls for urgent government action.
Key Points
- BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Chitwan has faced a three-month halt in the supply of cisplatin and carboplatin medications critical for chemotherapy.
- Price caps set a decade ago have not been revised despite rising raw material costs, leading suppliers to stop importing the drugs due to unprofitable rates.
- The hospital has requested emergency medicine supplies from the World Health Organization to alleviate the shortage facing 150 to 200 daily cancer patients.
- The Department of Drug Administration and the health ministry have agreed to revise medicine prices, pending Cabinet approval, to resume supply and address the crisis.
