In a bright hospital ward of the Institute of Oncology in Chișinău, 7-year-old Evelina prepares her Romanian language homework, her small fingers tracing each letter with focus and determination. Her mother Victoria sits beside her – their hospital room serving as both home and classroom during the long months of treatment.
For Evelina, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, childhood has unfolded between chemotherapy sessions, blood tests and long, quiet evenings listening to the rhythmic beeps of hospital monitors. Nevertheless, her spirit remains gentle and strong, anchored in a child’s instinctive hope.
“Medicines must be available exactly when they are needed so that the therapeutic protocol can be followed. Continuing the treatment is essential for her chances of recovery,” says Victoria, whose voice is calm but heavy with emotion.
For families like theirs, uninterrupted access to high-quality cancer medicines is more than a technical matter – it is the difference between fear and reassurance, between uncertainty and the possibility of a cure.
Improving access to childhood cancer medicines
Each year, around 100 children in the Republic of Moldova are diagnosed with cancer. While survival rates have improved in recent years, now reaching approximately 60%, they remain below those reported in high-income countries, where more than 80% of children survive. In 2025 alone, 92 children in the Republic of Moldova were diagnosed with cancer, most commonly acute leukaemia and brain tumours.
For many years, limited resources meant that families and clinicians in the Republic of Moldova struggled with delays or shortages of essential medicines. These interruptions could weaken a child’s response to treatment and add uncertainty to an already difficult journey.
A key event in 2025 brought hope for these families when the Republic of Moldova officially joined the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines as one of the pilot countries. The agreement ensures 5 years of regular deliveries of life-saving, quality-assured childhood cancer medicines, free of charge for patients.
The Global Platform is a first-of-its-kind initiative jointly led by WHO and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It aims to provide an uninterrupted supply of quality-assured cancer medicines to children in low- and middle-income countries. The agreement to join was signed by the Ministry of Health and the WHO Regional Office for Europe on 25 June 2025.
A new beginning
On 23 March 2026, the Republic of Moldova received its first shipment of medicines. Procured through the United Nations Children’s Fund’s Supply Division. The medicines cover the full spectrum of paediatric cancer treatment needs and will be distributed to the paediatric oncology and haematology departments of the Institute of Oncology – the country’s only specialized cancer care facility.
“Today marks a new beginning for childhood cancer treatment in the Republic of Moldova,” said Dr Miljana Grbic, WHO Representative in the Republic of Moldova. “WHO is proud to support the Government in implementing the Global Platform and ensuring that all children have uninterrupted access to safe, high-quality medicines. Only by working together can we build stronger health systems and offer hope to families.”
Dr Emil Ceban, Minister of Health of the Republic of Moldova, echoed this sentiment. “In paediatric oncology, time matters. Any interruption can influence the evolution of the disease. The Republic of Moldova’s accession to the Global Platform goes beyond simple delivery. It involves the introduction of a stable supply framework, based on international standards of quality, traceability and monitoring.”
Strengthening national capacity in childhood cancer control
Beyond the delivery of medicines, WHO has helped the Institute of Oncology to strengthen its pharmacy capacity in preparation for receiving Global Platform supplies. The pharmacy and clinical staff have been trained to plan supplies, manage stocks safely and use monitoring tools that help to ensure that treatments continue without interruption. New and updated procedures now guide every step of handling and administering chemotherapy, strengthening safety and consistency across care.
Storage conditions have been upgraded with large medical refrigerators, cold boxes, temperature and humidity monitors, air-conditioning units and new shelving. Chemotherapy spill kits and clearly marked quarantine areas further enhance safety and stock management. Together, these improvements ensure that the health system is fully prepared to store, manage and deliver high-quality cancer medicines to every child who needs them.
The Republic of Moldova has also been a focus country of the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) since 2023, joining more than 80 countries worldwide to achieve the GICC goal of increasing the survival rate of children with cancer globally to at least 60% by 2030 while reducing their suffering and improving their quality of life.
Bringing hope for children with cancer
For children like Evelina, the arrival of these medicines means that treatments can continue uninterrupted, protocols are followed as designed and every therapy session brings them one step closer to recovery.
Dr Rodica Golban, Evelina’s attending paediatric oncologist, has accompanied many families through the uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis. She describes the Global Platform’s first shipment as a turning point: “It is reassuring to know that we can now plan long-term treatment without worrying about potential stockouts,” Dr Golban explains. “Children like Evelina depend on the precision of every dose. Having a stable supply of high quality medicines allows us to focus entirely on their clinical progress.”
In the corridors of the Institute of Oncology, the clinicians describe a new sense of stability. The families describe relief. And the children, despite the pain, the fatigue and the courage demanded of them each day, are given the chance every child deserves: the chance to get well.
The paediatric department remains a place of resilience. A place where children learn too early about bravery, but also where victories – big and small – are celebrated daily. As Victoria watches her daughter read aloud from her homework notebook, she smiles softly.
“Every day she can continue her treatment is a day we win,” she says.
Looking ahead
With the first medicines now in place, the Republic of Moldova is ready to further strengthen its paediatric oncology services. The new National Cancer Control Programme 2026–2030 will include a comprehensive chapter on paediatric oncology, setting national standards for diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, psychosocial services and survivorship, fully aligned with Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.
The programme will institutionalize the Global Platform, ensuring that its supply systems, monitoring tools and quality assurance mechanisms are embedded into national policy so that any disruption in the provision of childhood cancer medicines is proactively prevented.
The Republic of Moldova aims to secure long term, sustainable access to specialized paediatric oncology services for local, refugee and migrant children, including access to timely diagnosis and essential medicines. Crucially, it will strengthen national forecasting and procurement capacities and anchor a decade long strategy that prioritizes children, protects vulnerable groups and guarantees continuity through global partnerships.
The next steps include expanding national treatment guidelines aligned with WHO recommendations, continuing to build the skills of medical teams, enhancing information systems to monitor treatment effectiveness and ensuring sustainable, long-term access to quality-assured medicines.
For Evelina and many other children across the country, these steps mean the possibility of growing up, dreaming big and reclaiming the joys of childhood. And for their families and for the health workers who accompany them on this journey, they are hope made tangible.