President Dr Arif Alvi has said that there is 50 percent survival rate of cancer patients in Pakistan while it is 98 percent in other countries.
"There is a need of raising awareness among the people, particularly women, for breast cancer. The lady health workers can play an important role and the government should involve them for raising awareness of cancer. It is very necessary to diagnose caner at early stage for best treatment and survival of patients," the President expressed these views while addressing an event on "Jubilee Life Insurance and Roche Pakistan Collaborate to introduce Pakistan's first ever Cancer Protection Plan' on Tuesday.
The President said that it is also need to change the lifestyle and many diseases are also caused due to malnutrition. "We should avoid bad diets and adopt simple food," he suggested. He said that the effects of a food or nutrient depend on how much of it is eaten, he said.
He said that 95 percent cases of cancer are due to use of tobacco, Chaliya and Paan, etc. He said that the poor people are also facing financial issues for treatment of cancer and for the purpose the government has introduced health cards. He said that women should also assess themselves for avoiding breast cancer.
The President also appreciated Jubilee Life Insurance for setting up a call center for the help of the people. He said that according to reports, Pakistan has a huge number of cancer patients and approximately 170,000 people are diagnosed with the disease annually.
Javed Ahmed, Managing Director & CEO Jubilee Life Insurance, said, "I would like to extend my gratitude to President Dr Arif Alvi for joining us on this auspicious occasion and extending his support towards this cause." He said that battling with cancer is an extremely harrowing ordeal not just for the patient but also for their entire family and loved ones.
He said, "We at Jubilee Life designed this plan to provide patients with maximum aid for the healthcare aspect of the disease. We are hopeful that this will prove to be a crucial support system for all those who unfortunately have to fight cancer."
He said, "We would continue working towards providing health safety to people across Pakistan."
Managing Director Roche Pakistan Farrukh Rehan said, "Jubilee Life has taken a landmark step in the healthcare insurance domain. Cancer is a life-threatening disease which not only takes a toll on patients emotionally but also financially. We at Roche Pakistan are proud to be able to contribute to this great cause which will effectively ease the burden faced by cancer patients."
He said that under this partnership, Jubilee Life will provide cancer protection plan against wide range of cancers, from the most common to rarest types, and offers benefit amounts from 25% of the sum assured for early stage cancer to 100% of the sum assured for late stage cancer.
Premium from the plan begins from as low as PKR 735 per annum, subject to assessment based on gender, plan terms and age. The terms for the plan can be between 10 to 47 years, subject to maximum age of 65 years at maturity, he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019