Keeping in view the importance of the health sector in the country, the federal government has recently approved three projects related to the health sectors to facilitate the common man.
The state-of-the-art Cancer Hospital, National Police Hospital in federal capital and Upgradation of Radiology Department at Shaikh Zayed Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore worth Rs 11.258billion were approved by the Central Development Working Party CWDP which indicated that the government is committed to focus on the health sector besides, infrastructure projects. The establishment of Islamabad Cancer Hospital worth Rs 3.40b is a dire need of hour keeping in view the cases of cancer disease which has been increasing rapidly, says a press release issued by the Planning Ministry on Sunday. This state-of-the-art hospital will be established inside the city’s largest public sector hospital Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
Currently, PIMS oncology department is the only government-owned cancer treatment facility. The 200-bed cancer hospital project was approved during the last PML-N’s tenure from (2013-2017) under the Vision of 2025. However, the previous government of PTI shelved this project as a result the poor patients were deprived from this facility. The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that more than 178,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed every year in Pakistan, and there are more than 117% 200,8000 cancer deaths annually. Less than 250 individuals have qualified in the country as trained medical or radiation oncologists. Pakistan has only one cancer specialist per 0.5 population.
According to the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination currently, PAEC-NORI Hospital (semi-private), CMH, Rawalpindi, and Shifa Int’l hospital and hospitals running under the supervision of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission are providing cancer treatment to patients of Islamabad and adjoining areas. However, poor people cannot afford the expensive treatment from the private sector. It is noted that the country has 27 cancer treatment centres, a figure experts deem insufficient given the high number of cancer patients.
