Michoacán reduces childhood cancer treatment abandonment to 2%

The government of Michoacán, through the Secretariat of Welfare (Sedebi), has successfully reduced the abandonment rate of childhood cancer treatments from 30 percent to 2 percent. This was achieved through the ‘Familias Cuidadoras de Niñas y Niños con Cáncer’ program, a unique public policy in Mexico that provides direct economic support to families.

Andrea Serna, head of Sedebi, stated that families receive a monthly support of 4,000 pesos to cover essential costs such as transportation, medication, and food. Since 2022, the program has supported 836 families with an investment of over 86 million pesos. Additionally, 165 million pesos have been allocated for high-specialty technology, including PET Scans and Linear Accelerators.

According to the Michoacán Ministry of Health, these efforts have improved survival rates, increasing them from 60 to 75 percent for leukemia and from 60 to 80 percent for lymphomas.