Punjab Minister for Health Dr Tahir Ali Javed said the Punjab government is very keen on providing the best health facilities to the people and for this purpose a network of state-of-art cardiology institutes is being completed.
Addressing the participants of the 12th National Cancer Congress (ONCO-2005) organised by the Pakistan Society of Clinical Oncology (PSCO), he said, "Now we are going to focus on cancer."
The Punjab health minister said that an institute of oncology was being established in Lahore at an estimated cost of Rs 2 billion, while a Gamma Camera and other facilities would be provided for updating the Clinical and Oncology Department of Punjab Medical College Faisalabad with the total cost of Rs 6 million.
Dr Tahir Ali Javed said that a Cancer Hospital and Institute of Oncology of international standard will be established in Lahore on 120 kanal area, which would be completed and made functional by 2007 and it would be first ever cancer hospital of world level in the public sector.
The minister said that this hospital would not only provide latest treatment facilities to the people of the province but it would also extend modern treatment opportunities to the patients of this complicated disease of other areas as well.
He said free of cost medical facilities would be provided to poor and deserving patients in the hospital. He said that services of international experts with attractive salary package would also be acquired besides latest diagnostic equipment would also be provided and a cancer research center would also be set up.
The minister said besides this the funds are being released on priority basis to the teaching hospitals for the purchase of Gamma Camera, Laser Camera and Cobalt so that facility of bone scanning can be provided to the cancer patients in Punjab Medical College Faisalabad.
Minister said that the government is providing maximum funds for prevention and treatment of cancer at public sector teaching hospitals and government would patronise and encourage local pharmacist companies manufacturing cancer medicines so that such medicines could be available at cheaper rates to the patients.
The National Cancer Congress was informed that the majority of patients present with advanced disease requiring palliative care, radiotherapy are the most cost effective modality for 90 percent of these patients and Punjab has largest number of radiotherapy oncology treatment facilities in the country.
The minister assured that all modern treatment facilities of cancer diseases would be provided at the Cancer Hospital besides enhancing treatment capacity at teaching hospitals of the province.
Earlier, Professor Dr Abrar Ahmad Javed, President Pakistan Society of Clinical Oncology (PSCO) presented the welcome address and highlighted the objectives of the society.
Prominent doctors and professors including Dr Shar Yar Khan, Dr Syed S. H. M. Zadi, Dr A. G. Rehan, Principal Punjab Medical College Faisalabad, Dr Syed Ejaz Hussain Shah, Chairman Organising Committee of Society and other experts and scientists also addressed the meeting.
After conclusion of first inaugural session of 3-day Cancer Congress, talking to newsmen, Punjab Minister for Health Dr Tahir Ali Javid said that no case of Congo Virus has been detected in Punjab, however government has decided to allocate separate rooms in all major hospitals of the Punjab to accommodate any possible patient of Congo virus.
He said that this decision has been implemented instantly in Faisalabad with the allotment of rooms for isolation and specialised treatment of any possible case of Congo Virus. He commended the spontaneous response of medical community after October 8 earthquake and said that they provided best treatment to the needy patients in most unfavourable circumstances. 'The first orthopaedic surgeon poured into Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) for the treatment of the earthquake victims was from Punjab,' he said and added that 99.99 percent patients were provided best possible treatments.
At the end, Punjab Minister for Health Dr Tahir Ali Javid also visited the liver center of DHQ hospital Faisalabad.