Infant cancer in El Salvador: a lot of medicines arrived at Bloom Hospital

The Benjamin Bloom National Children’s Hospital, an undisputed reference centre for paediatric care in El Salvador, records on average 250 new diagnoses of childhood cancer each year. In the face of this care demand that requires constant and specialized responses, the Central American country took a fundamental step on Tuesday by receiving the first shipment of oncological drugs corresponding to an international programme designed to ensure the continuous supply to children and adolescents with hematooncological diseases.

The initial batch arrived in the country within the framework of the Global Platform for Access to Medicines against Child Cancer (GAPCCM), an initiative co-coordinated by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the prestigious St. John’s Children’s Research Hospital. Jude, from America. Through this mechanism, El Salvador became the second nation in the Americas region to be formally integrated to receive strategic supply of high quality inputs.

The first deliveries and the diversity of treatments covered

The first delivery made this week consists of a lot of calcium folinate 10 milligrams, in its 5 ml injection. This input acts as a fundamental protector within complex therapeutic schemes to mitigate the adverse effects of certain chemical-therapeutic drugs. According to the health authorities’ shared planning, the arrival of this product is only the first tranche of a progressive plan that provides for the coordinated delivery of 27 key medicines over the coming months.

The drugs imported through the platform will be directed directly to paediatric and adolescent patients receiving care at the Bloom Hospital facilities. The range of medicines stipulated will provide coverage for complex treatments of leukemia, lymphomas and solid tumors, ensuring that families do not face interruptions or dissupplies at the most critical stages of therapy.

Health goals and the goal of raising global survival

Continuous access to international quality medicines is the cornerstone for sustaining the effectiveness of chemotherapies and improving the prognosis of patients. In El Salvador, the arrival of these inputs is part of a comprehensive health strategy aimed at substantially transforming the rates of paediatric recovery.

Currently, official indicators indicate that the overall survival rate for childhood cancer in the country is 56 per cent. With the full implementation of this programme and the standardization of treatment schemes, the goal set by the public health system is to achieve and consolidate 60% survival in the diagnosed children and adolescents. Each percentage point of increase directly represents the possibility of saving the lives of dozens of children facing oncological pathologies.

Logistics strengthening and assessment of the supply chain

El Salvador’s formal entry into this international mechanism was not an immediate process, but the result of a technical work started in 2021, when the country joined the Global Initiative against Cancer in Children and Adolescents, promoted by PAHO and St. Jude. Subsequently, in 2025, the Salvadoran authorities requested the specific incorporation of the GAPCCM platform, which required the formation of a multidisciplinary technical team.

Prior to final approval, experts from PAHO and St. John’s Hospital. Jude carried out an extensive assessment mission on the infrastructure installed in the country. The analysis covered the planning, reception, storage, cold chain conservation and final dose administration processes at the Bloom Hospital. After signing a letter of understanding and implementing a work plan aligned with international standards in September 2025, the phased deliveries that are now beginning to materialize were given a green light.

Prospects for paediatric care in the region

The successful implementation of the program in El Salvador marks a significant milestone in the management of regional public health in Latin America, an area where the disparity in access to paediatric cancer drugs is often one of the major obstacles to health equity.

The regular arrival of the remaining 26 lots over the next few months will allow the strengthening of treatment protocols and the consolidation of a logistical model that could serve as a reference for other countries in the region seeking to bridge the gap in the survival of childhood cancer.

Sources consulted: Infobae, Presidency of the Republic of El Salvador, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).