KARACHI: Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) is going to utilise its cancer treatment service to the optimum level as the state of the art multi-million dollar Tomotherapy machine would now serve up to 65 cancer patients, on a daily basis.
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Sciences at JPMC would be enhanced four times by March 2022, and the gynaecology department would also be revamped by the end of next year.
Patients’ Aid Foundation (PAF)-JPMC Executive Committee Chairman Mushtaq K Chhapra told Business Recorder that PAF-JPMC has been able to introduce latest radiographic equipment at JPMC, one such equipment is Tomotherapy which has been serving patients since October last year.
“Around 25 cancer patients are currently being served free of cost through Tomotherapy system, per day. However, in order to cater the growing needs of patients, we have decided to utilise this technology to its optimum level,”
We have extensively worked towards enhancing and upgrading radiographic facilities at JPMC. The Tomotherapy System is among the most revolutionary radiotherapy innovations in the history of cancer treatment, completely redefining the standard for individualised and precise treatment of tumours anywhere in the body — while creating a new paradigm for patient comfort and quality of life.
He said the CyberKnife technology at JPMC also serves approx 25 patients per day. JPMC is the only hospital in Pakistan offering this treatment and the only hospital in the world providing it free of cost. The actual cost for one treatment internationally goes up to $1,000, he said.
CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery, a robotic cutting edge technology, uses high cancer killing dose of radiation in a precise, painless, and non-invasive manner.
Chhapra said that Cancer treatment puts a great financial stress on needy patients, many of the affected patients are not able to get timely treatment and many have to leave the treatment in between due to their financial shortcomings. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Pakistan, by the end of 2020, new cancer cases estimated to be 180,000 and recorded cancer deaths were approximately with 330,000 prevalent cases in the last 5 years.
He said PAF-JPMC have already initiated the construction for Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at JPMC to provide quality mental health services free of charge to deserving patients. He said that socio-economic adversities, poverty, strained family relations etc. have contributed to the psychological problems in Pakistan, especially in our masses. A very small percentage of psychiatric units are state-owned which further amplifies the mental problems of the less privileged classes.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021