MAKATI Mayor and senatorial candidate Abby Binay welcomed the World Health Organization’s plan to provide free cancer medications for children in low- and middle-income countries.

“This is great news, especially for the Philippines, where cancer is a leading cause of death among children. Free access to cancer medications would provide immense relief to families of pediatric cancer patients, who are often burdened by the high cost of treatment,” Binay said.

She added that providing free access to life-saving medications, particularly for low-income families, would be one of her key priorities if elected to the Senate.

“One of the things I’ll champion in the Senate is free access to life-saving, yet expensive medications for cancer and other serious illnesses, especially for those from poor families,” Binay said.

“Cancer should not be a death sentence because of the inability to afford medication, chemotherapy, or radiation. We must help children with cancer recover, grow, and thrive in pursuit of their dreams,” she added.

Binay expressed hope that the Philippines will soon be included in the WHO’s pilot program for this initiative, which currently involves six countries: Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal, and Zambia.

“I look forward to the country being included as a pilot site for the WHO initiative. I also hope the Philippine government will take inspiration from the WHO and ramp up efforts to help young cancer patients recover, sparing their families from further financial hardship,” she said.

Under Binay’s administration, Makati has been providing free maintenance medications to senior citizens and residents with chronic ailments, such as hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, and more. The city also offers free and unlimited dialysis and chemotherapy sessions to eligible patients.