Karachi:
Unlike societal attitudes, diseases rarely discriminate on the basis of wealth and status. However, the treatment of fighting these deadly conditions is only reserved for them with a decent bank balance.
Across the port city, there is no dedicated cancer diagnosis or treatment facilities available at the government level for patients with low income suffering from the deadly state. Without registry of cancer patients, the few cancer facilities are filled with patients. The chemotherapy facility at Civil Hospital and the Radiation Unit at Jinnah Hospital often denies treatment for patients and forces them to seek private care.
Only two radiation units have been established in the city at Jinnah Hospital and Kiran Hospital, which operates under Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. On the other hand, radiation facilities are available at two to three private hospitals in Karachi, where a session with radiotherapy costs RS15,000 for RS20,000.
In Pakistan, more than 185,000 new cases of cancer and 125,000 deaths are reported each year with breast cancer, oral cancer and lung cancer among the most common. Medical experts are of the opinion that cancer is becoming more and more common among the local population, but there is a lack of sufficient cancer treatment facilities at government level, due to which patients are either placed on the waiting list for several months or have to pay lakhs of rupies for treatment at a private hospital.
Amir, the man of a woman suffering from breast cancer, confirmed that there was no facility for treating breast cancer in government hospitals. “When I contacted Civil and Jinnah Hospitals, they had a long list of female patients. That’s why we went to several private facilities where my wife’s operation and 17 sessions of chemotherapy together with tests and medications cost a total of RS1.7 million. Radiation and chemotherapy are very expensive in private hospitals,” Amir said.
Similarly, Mohammad Farid, a 70 -year -old prostate cancer patient, was constantly denied treatment in public hospitals.
“During this period, my pain worsened, after which I contacted a urologist at a private hospital. The surgery cost RS200,000, while each of the six chemotherapis sessions cost me RS40,000. There is no facility for the treatment of cancer and other complex diseases of public facilities. Cancer treatment is beyond the reach of the poor man.”
According to sources of Express Pakinomist, out of a total of 44,340 patients visiting the radiology department at Jinnah Hospital from January to December 2024, only 1,253 gained access to treatment. Professor Dr Noor Muhammad Somro, an oncologist and former head of the Cancer Department at Civil Hospital, confirmed that the few radiotherapy available in the city received a huge influx of patients that many had to wait for months.
“Among men, mouth and neck cancer are most common, while there are among women who are often reported on breast cancer. Due to expensive cancer treatment, poor patients are original methods of cure. If cancer is not treated in time, the patient dies quickly. Cancer is treated in three ways; surgery, radiation and chemotherapy,” said Dr. Soomro.
Dr. Shumaila Khuhro, head of oncology at Civil Hospital, revealed that the cancer unit had 44 beds, while more than 100 cancer patients were reported daily in cancer up. Dr. Naausheen, Deputy CEO of Jinnah Hospital, shared that the cancer unit had 52 beds, while nearly 180 cancer patients sought treatment on a daily basis.
“The Civil and Jinnah Hospital is the only hospitals in the province where cancer patients receive treatment facilities,” Confirmed Dr. Pir Ghulam Nabi Shah Jilani, Deputy Director Health Karachi.
