WHO and St. Jude Hospital Delegation Visits Uzbekistan's Pediatric Oncology Facilities

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Representatives of the World Health Organization and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are on a working visit to Uzbekistan, during which they are familiarizing themselves with the organization of early diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer in the country, the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan reports.

The delegation visited the Uzbekistan Airports Cargo logistics complex, where they examined the storage and transportation processes for oncological medicines in compliance with cold chain requirements, as well as the vaccine warehouse of the Committee for Sanitary-Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health.

St. Jude Hospital representatives spoke highly of the logistics organization, noting that all processes meet international standards and that the entire supply chain — from point of origin to the end patient — is properly structured.

The centerpiece of the program was a visit to the Scientific and Practical Medical Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, where recently installed digital robotic equipment now prepares oncological medicines without human involvement. This solution improves dosing accuracy, guarantees the efficacy of medicines, and ensures the safety of both patients and medical staff. The delegation also visited the Taskin pediatric oncology hospice at Tashkent City Multidisciplinary Hospital.

During the visit, a presentation was given on the results of the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan's collaborative work within the global platform. The parties discussed optimizing drug delivery timelines, establishing technical requirements, and improving mechanisms for distributing medicines across regions.

A memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Health and St. Jude Hospital is expected to be signed as an outcome of the visit. The Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer is being implemented jointly by the World Health Organization and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Uzbekistan was among the first countries to join the platform, whose primary goal is to provide children suffering from cancer with high-quality medicines free of charge.