All-out efforts being made to set up cancer health facilities: Murad

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that poor patients cannot afford expensive cancer treatment in private sector; therefore, government is working hard to establish cancer health facilities in the public sector. "Sindh government is also subsidising treatment expenditures in the hospitals being operated as welfare institutions," he said, talking to a delegation of Cancer Foundation who met him Monday.
Its chairman Maqsood Ansari led the delegation comprising Engr Haji Nazim and Surgeon Abid Jamal. Principal Secretary to the CM Sajid Jamal Abro and Secretary Health Saeed Awan also attended the meeting. The chief minister was told Karachi requires 40 radiation machines but hardly a few are in the city. Therefore, the patients were waiting for one to two months at welfare hospitals.
Murad Shah said his government, in partnership with philanthropists and JPMC administration, has established Cyber Knife Centre for cancer patients at JPMC that was functioning successfully. He said Sindh government was also financially supporting various health facilities engaged in serving poor patients with the support of philanthropists. He assured the Cancer Foundation he would support them in purchase of Bonemarrow Transplant (BMT) machines. He noted the BMT machine in Dow hospital was a great support to the poor patients.
It was pointed out at the meeting that treatment of a poor cancer patient cost around Rs 1.2 million in private hospitals. The poor patients cannot afford those expenditures. Therefore, welfare hospitals, with the support of philanthropists and Sindh government, are subsidising it to Rs 200,000 and even then it remains difficult for poor patients to afford.
It was also disclosed that the private hospitals were charging Rs 7000 for radiation while these expenditures were subsidised to Rs 1000 at welfare hospitals. The chief minister directed Secretary Health and Cancer Foundation to meet with secretary finance and purchase some radiation machines for poor cancer patients. "We are committed to the people of the province and will provide free of cost treatment to the cancer patients," he vowed. Murad said that cancer hospitals would be established in different districts of the province on the pattern of NICVD.