KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 6 A national symposium on childhood cancer care has called for a coordinated national approach to improve early diagnosis, timely referral, access to treatment and long-term support for children with cancer in Nepal. The National Symposium on Childhood Cancer Care and Stakeholder Engagement, organised jointly by World Child Cancer, Ramesh Gupta Memorial Trust and TACC in Kathmandu on September 29, brought together government representatives, paediatric oncology hospitals, healthcare professionals, professional bodies, foundations, NGOs, parents, survivors and international partners. Participants identified continuing gaps in early diagnosis, referral, equitable access to treatment, essential medicines and diagnostic services, supportive care, nutrition, psychosocial services, family support, survivorship and outcome measurement. The symposium called for greater priority for childhood cancer in national health policies and stronger integration of childhood cancer care into cancer-control and Universal Health Coverage efforts. Participants recommended a coordinated national framework with clearly defined responsibilities, measurable targets and timelines. They called for stronger community awareness and training of frontline healthcare workers, rapid referral pathways, improved diagnostic services and regional and shared-care networks to reduce barriers for families seeking specialised treatment. A national assessment of childhood cancer centres was also recommended to review workforce capacity, diagnostic services, medicines, treatment facilities, patient safety, supportive care and psychosocial services. The symposium also stressed the need for quality, family-centred care, including reliable access to essential medicines and blood products, stronger paediatric oncology nursing capacity, improved chemotherapy and infection-prevention standards, and better nutritional, psychosocial, palliative and survivorship services. Participants called for stronger national data systems to track diagnostic delays, treatment abandonment and completion, relapse, survival and quality of life. They also recommended establishing or strengthening a National Childhood Cancer Coordination Mechanism involving the government, hospitals, professional bodies, civil society, families, survivors and international partners, with an annual review process to monitor progress and accountability.