Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: Health experts called for establishment of new cancer hospitals as 1.7 million cases emerged in Pakistan last year adding that 90,000 women and 88,000 men were diagnosed with cancer last year, with most cases of breast cancer in Pakistan, they informed.
While addressing a gathering on Friday, one of the key speakers Dr Qurat ul Ain said that more than 3,500 patients visited the Institute of Nuclear Medicines & Radiotherapy (MINAR), Multan, out of whom 1,000 suffered from breast cancer, while the rest of the patients had throat, stomach, blood, liver, intestine, and food pipe cancers.
She elaborated that the hospitals were working across the country under the supervision of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). The PAEC was established in 1956, while the first health facility was established in 1960, called Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in Karachi.
New hospitals for cancer patients
She further said that there were few cancer hospitals in the country, including Nishtar Cancer Centre, BINO and Victoria Hospitals Bahawalpur, etc; however, they can’t fulfill the country’s needs, and there is a prompt need to build new centers.
Dr. Ahmed Ijaz Masood, head of the Oncology Department Nishtar Medical University (NMU) remarked that Nishtar Cancer Centre was equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, however, building new hospitals will hopefully assist in reducing the burden on the existing health centers.
He further said that the cancer society and oncology department’s joint efforts materialized the dream of a cancer center while adding that unhealthy diets and ultra-processed food are some of the reasons for increasing the mortality ratio of cancer.
He added that smoking was the main cause of cancer in the country.
