Cancer care for the children of Mongolia

Tsetsegsaikhan Batmunkh, the founder of the National Cancer Council of Mongolia, had heard heartbreaking stories for years of parents desperately seeking some cancer medications for their children. In group chats and through social media, parents exchanged medication needs and advice on how to track what they needed. Some traveled across borders to get medicine, while others turned to the black market. 

In Mongolia, where around 100 to 120 children are diagnosed with cancer every year, the greatest challenge wasn’t the cancer diagnosis but accessing quality medicine for treatment. There were few importers and some essential cancer drugs had shortages, forcing parents to turn to informal markets. 

“It was really difficult to see how parents are struggling to get some medicines,” Batmunkh said. “Parents were getting some needed medicines from each other, or from third [party] people which were not legal in the country.” 

But things recently began to shift in Mongolia thanks to the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, a program by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the Strategic Fund of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The Global Platform aims to procure and distribute essential generic cancer drugs to low- and middle-income countries at no cost.  Several pilot countries — including Ecuador, Mongolia, Nepal, Uzbekistan and Zambia —- began receiving medicines in 2025. Additional countries, including El Salvador, Ghana, Jordan, Moldova, Pakistan, Senegal and Sri Lanka are expected to begin receiving medicines in 2026. 

The Global Platform is the first initiative of its kind, with the goal of providing medicines for the treatment of approximately 120,000 children with cancer in low- and middle–income countries, where survival rates are often less than 30%, far below the rates in high-income countries. 

“The challenges of increasing childhood cancer survival rates must be addressed from multiple angles,” said Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, MD, Director of St. Jude Global. “This partnership tackles these challenges through a number of avenues, including strengthening supply chains, addressing workforce gaps and increasing advocacy for children with cancer. More children will receive better care at an international level because of this intricate approach.” 

The program began distributing cancer medicines to Mongolia in early 2025. Over the next five years, Mongolia will receive an uninterrupted supply of quality-assured medicines at no cost to help improve childhood cancer survival rates. The Global Platform works closely with the Ministry of Health of Mongolia, WHO, UNICEF and National Center for Maternal and Child Health to prepare and deliver the medicines. The goal is for the Global Platform to create a sustainable, long-term solution for pediatric cancer treatment. St. Jude and WHO are working closely with participating countries to create long-term solutions, including local capacity building, data sharing and policy development.  

The arrival of quality cancer drugs is already making a difference for some families. Batmunkh recalled a mother from a rural area who said the medicines were a lifeline for her child with leukemia.  

“It’s an additional burden for the family to pay for some of the medicine out of pocket,” she said. “She was saying that this is a big relief for her. Also, pharmacists and doctors were pleased to have all needed medications for treatment available, with known good quality and without worry of [running] out of stock.” 

Batmunkh said besides delivering essential cancer medicines, the program is also strengthening Mongolia’s ability to care for children with cancer. St. Jude, which has committed $200 million globally to support the program, provides technical support, including clinical expertise for handling, storage and administration of the new medicines, record keeping, as well as waste disposal.

The National Cancer Council of Mongolia also collaborates with the Together by St. Jude team on an educational component and has created a brochure containing information for six of the most prevalent cancers in children. It has also developed fact sheets about the cancer medicines already received through the Global Platform. The sheets, which are in Mongolian and include photos of children from the country, are distributed to patients and their families, but also to doctors.  

Improving cancer care in Mongolia 

Batmunkh chose a career in medicine because of her maternal grandmother, the first female oncologist in Mongolia. As a little girl, she accompanied her grandmother on hospital rounds most days. It was during those times that she learned about cancer and compassion. She witnessed moments of sadness: patients who were diagnosed too late. But she also saw ways of helping, as her grandmother spent countless hours not only treating those facing cancer, but also educating the community.   

“I grew up watching her, how she was treating patients, what kind of difficulties they faced, and how much people were expressing a lot of gratitude to her,” she recalled. “She was so respected in the community, and I thought when the time comes to select your profession, I was really sure that I would follow her path and become a doctor, too.” 

Batmunkh graduated from medical school in Russia and continued her education in Australia. She then worked at government and international organizations before starting the nonprofit National Cancer Council of Mongolia in 2014. The nonprofit aimed to reduce the risks of cancer as well as ensure the best cancer care for everyone in Mongolia.  

Several years later, St. Jude established the Eurasia Regional Program to serve Europe and Central Asia. Batmunkh was invited to a meeting , where she learned about St. Jude Global and its work to build capacity for high-quality care for children with cancer. She returned to Mongolia inspired, realizing that there needed to be more focus on childhood cancer across the country.   

“I was mostly working on adult cancer, and we didn’t have much understanding on pediatric cancer in the country. Going to this St. Jude Eurasian first meeting, I was really convinced that this area needed to be improved,” said Batmunkh, who later became a scholar in the ALSAC Global Scholars Program. “…Even in the community, people were not really aware of pediatric cancer, so becoming part of the St. Jude Global Program, I think we as a country could prioritize childhood cancer in the country and got a lot of support.” 

Soon after, Batmunkh helped set up the first working group on pediatric cancer in Mongolia approved by the Ministry of Health. The group assessed childhood cancer, identified care gaps and approved the first policy document with a plan of action to improve pediatric cancer. One key issue identified was limited access to good quality medicines, partly because vendors were unwilling to supply a small, unprofitable market, she said.  

Distance to care was another struggle facing families, especially during winter days when temperatures plunge to as low as -13 degrees Fahrenheit. Mongolia is a vast landlocked country, where half of the 3.5 million population live in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, while others live in rural and remote areas. There is one main hospital, the National Center for Maternal and Child Health, with a dedicated unit for children with cancer in the capital far from many rural communities. 

To help those families, the National Cancer Council, which runs on donations, established Tara Lodge, a patient housing facility, named after Batmunkh’s grandmother, who she lovingly called Dary (in translation – Tara), in January 2019. It accommodates cancer patients and their caregivers from rural areas. Approximately 50% of the clients of the National Cancer Center are rural patients. Children up to 18 years of age who are diagnosed with cancer in the province, along with their families and guardians, are housed free of charge. The house also provides transportation to and from the hospital.  

Next for the nonprofit is construction of the country’s first rehabilitation camp dedicated to supporting children recovering from cancer — a place that will continue to offer care and comfort. When Batmunkh thinks of her grandmother, she feels certain that she would be heartened by all the progress the country has made in cancer treatment.  

“I think she will be very happy and proud because I followed her path and continued what she was trying to do in the country — continuing her work to save lives of people in our country and the community,” Batmunkh said. “When I entered medical university, she was so proud and so happy, but unfortunately, she could not see the moment of my graduation and becoming a medical doctor.  But I think now when she will see how much was done in the country, and how many things are planned in the country, I think she will be proud of me.”