KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that he was committed to serve ailing people of the province, particularly the cancer patients because he has lost his both the parents in cancer disease.
The CM stated this while addressing a `World Cancer Day’ organized by KIRAN hospital at its conference room here on Saturday. He was accompanied by Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mendhro.
Syed Murad Ali said that the KIRAN Hospital was founded by then Prime Minister Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and chief minister Sindh Syed Abdullah Shah [father of the CM] in 1993. It started functioning in 2001. “I feel inner pain when I listen about cancer because I have lost my father and mother, both, in cancer disease,” he said and burst into tears and went on saying “I feel the pain of this disease and know how it turns people orphans, deprive them of their near and dear ones.
The CM Sindh vowed to support all the cancer hospitals, particularly the KIRAN in the shape of funds and necessary machinery and equipment. “I am with you and would extend you maximum support,” he assured the Chairman Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and director KIRAN Dr Akhtar.
The Chief Minister said that he would also play his due role to create awareness about cancer so that people could change their life style, food habits and adopt healthy practices in their day to day life. Chairman PAEC Mohammad Naeem said that PAEC’s contribution in human health includes establishment of 18 PAEC Cancer hospitals all over Pakistan. He added that the cancer hospitals are providing state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic facilities to about 850,000 patients every year in the fields of nuclear medicine and radiotherapy. “This is around 80 percent of the country’s reported cancer patients,” he said and added that five of these cancer hospitals are in Sindh. They are Atomic Energy Cancer Hospital near JPMC, KIRAN at Karachi, NIMRA at Jamshoro, NORIN at Nawabshah and LINAR at Larkana. The PAEC has planned three more cancer hospitals at Mardan, Gilgit and AJK. Earlier, in the briefing the Chief Minister was informed that upto 2020 the number of cancer patients would reach to 20 million all over Pakistan. On this the CM urged doctors to suggest ways and means to the government so that the cancer could be controlled.
Murad Ali Shah took round of the hospital and went ward to ward and presented gifts to the patients and prayed for their early recovery.—INP
