For a kid with cancer, where they live has a huge impact on whether they'll survive

For a kid with cancer, where they live has a huge impact on whether they'll survive toggle caption Stefano Figalo/Brazil Photos/LightRocket via Getty Images Every year, an estimated 400,000 children worldwide develop a form of cancer. "They often get access to lower quality medicines or medicines without enough of the active ingredient, so effectively what's being prescribed to children is hope and a death sentence, and that is just not acceptable." "Many of our medicines come from India where there's a vast spectrum when it comes to the quality," says Professor Lorna Renner, a consultant pediatrician at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana. Through a new partnership with the World Health Organization, St. Jude has launched a pilot program to identify suitable manufacturers and deliver effective generic forms of vital childhood cancer medicines to six countries: Ecuador, Jordan, Mongolia, Nepal, Uzbekistan and Zambia. "We're looking to set up something that will be truly transformative as well as sustainable, to ensure quality medicines for all children and adolescents who are in need," Catherine Lam, a pediatric oncologist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, said when discussing the program at the UICC Congress.