PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa approved special grant of Rs. 120 million to continue free treatment of the cancer patients for the next six months besides directions of extending the Free Blood Cancer Treatment Programs being carried out at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar and assured regular funding of the project under Annual Development Program from the forthcoming financial year.
He also ordered to establish a hospice (rest home) for regular treatment of the cancer patients. Pervez Khattak issued these orders while chairing a meeting regarding free treatment of cancer patients held at the CM Secretariat on Thursday. The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Hamad Agha, Secretaries of Finance and Health departments and other relevant officers. Professor Abid Jameel, Head of Medical Oncology department, HMC and Focal Person of the Program, briefed the meeting about current position of the project and presented the four years Project Report on free treatment of blood cancer patients.
The Chief Minister KP expressed his resolve to provide all out facilities to cancer patients of the province and assured that all required financial resources and other necessary facilities would be provided soon to HMC to enable it to continue free cancer cure for patients of the province. In this regard he also ordered establishment of a hospice at the complex within two months to house the cancer patients.
He directed the concerned authorities to immediately release funds for free cancer treatment and without any interruption. He also directed the authorities to submit PC-1 for the first-ever hospice for terminal cancer patients at HMC so it could start benefitting the cancer patients.
Professor Abid Jameel on this occasion informed that Cancer treatment was extremely expensive and out of reach of most of the patients revealing that in Pakistan, most of the cancer patients belong to young age group. He feared that a large number of young patients and our productive manpower will be lost with considerable impact on national economy and industry if the disease is not treated properly according to international standards. He further told that after successful completion of first two phases of the program, that treated 445 patients, the third phase was being prepared that will also include medicines for breast cancer, kidney cancer and other forms of cancer.
