The Health Ministry of Ukraine sent around 500 children with cancer for treatment abroad from February 24, 2022 until today.

Clinics in 14 European countries, the United States and Canada received Ukrainian children with cancer for treatment, Head of the Medical Services Department of the Health Ministry of Ukraine Oleksandra Mashkevych said on the air of the national telethon on Wednesday.

"We sent abroad around 500 children with oncology within the framework of a medical evacuation program," she said, adding that, under the program, children who need in-patient treatment were sent abroad accompanied by their family members.

There are around 6,000 children with oncology at various stages registered in Ukraine, Mashkevych said. This number remains relatively stable and is similar to the levels in other countries.

"There are around 6,000 children with oncology registered in Ukraine. They have different stages: some need intensive care, some are in remission, some have completed treatment five years ago and continue to live calmly, however, we will not remove them from the record. The statistics is stable, and it is approximately the same as in the European countries: 13 children with cancer per 100,000 population are identified annually both in Europe and Ukraine. We are not speaking about an increase in this number," the official said.

At the same time, Mashkevych admitted the worsening of the problem of late detection of disease due to active hostilities and migration of the population.