Ecuador‘s Young Cancer Foundation Steps In as Public Healthcare struggles to Provide Essential Medications
Quito, Ecuador – Facing critical shortages of essential medications adn supplies within the public healthcare system, Ecuador’s Young Cancer Foundation has established a “medicine bank” to support patients battling cancer. The initiative, born from witnessing the desperation of those unable to access necessary treatment, relies on donations from patients who have completed their own therapies.
the crisis was starkly illustrated by a recent visitor to the Foundation, who expressed frustration at having to seek colonoscopy bags – a basic necessity – because the hospital had none available. This experience is echoed by many patients,some fighting cancer for years,while others remember the fear and hardship of the disease.
The Foundation’s medicine bank offers a lifeline. Hilda Naspud, a seven-year colon cancer survivor, donated medications she no longer needed, explaining, “Only someone who suffered this disease knows what it means not having medications and the despair he feels at that time.”
The impact of cancer treatment extends beyond the fight against the disease itself. Hilda Guapina, in remission, details the debilitating long-term effects of chemotherapy, including memory loss, arthritis, hair loss, and brittle nails. “There are days that I walk down the street and I do not remember where I go or what I had to do,” she shares.
For others, accessing treatment requires leaving the country. Cynthia Sánchez, a 32-year-old survivor of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, traveled to Houston’s Anderson Cancer Center in 2024 after Ecuador lacked the resources to treat her condition. While she received free chemotherapy thru a hospital program, subsequent stem cell immunotherapy costs USD 4,000 per month. Fortunately, a hospital agreement reduced her costs to USD 18,000 for the duration of her treatment. Now recovered,Sánchez donates her unused medications to the Foundation,stating,”This disease teaches you to be brave and have empathy.What better than to help someone fight cancer with your help?”
Gustavo Dávila, president of the Young Cancer Foundation, explains the bank’s origins: “When one sees that patients cry for the lack of medications or say they are afraid to die, one looks for ways to help.” As its launch on July 31st, the bank has assisted 58 patients with donations from 30 individuals, totaling approximately USD 10,000 in value.
Dávila highlights the severity of the situation, noting the need to provide even basic medications like morphine. He hopes the bank will no longer be necessary once the public healthcare system can consistently provide adequate supplies, but acknowledges this is a distant prospect.
The Young Cancer Foundation’s initiative underscores a critical gap in Ecuador’s healthcare system and the vital role patient-led support networks play in ensuring access to life-saving treatment.
(Source: https://www.primicias.ec/sociedad/pacientes-conce-banco-medicaments-hostal)
