World Cancer Day: 29 hospitals for over 180m population

Country sorely lacks prevention and control plan on a government level

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE/ KARACHI:

While the World Cancer Day is being observed across the globe, holding rallies and seminars to create awareness, Pakistan lacks even a cancer prevention and control plan on a government level to cope with the burden of the disease.

“In Pakistan there is an emergency-like situation when we talk about cancer in particular,” said Dr Minhajus Siraj, deputy director general, capital administration and development division (CADD), adding “but sadly currently there is no cancer prevention and control plan, budget or designated programme coordinator and accurate data both at federal and provincial level.”

According to government data, there are only 29 hospitals in Pakistan providing cancer treatment, of which eight are functional under Atomic Energy Commission, seven are in public sector and four are private.  Just 400 oncologists are serving a nation of 180 million.



Pakistan is currently undergoing an epidemiological transition in which communicable diseases are still endemic, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are dramatically increasing.

Among other NCDs, the unchecked rise of cancer is alarming as the government seems least bothered about taking measures for its prevention, treatment and control.

Cervical cancer

Around 80% women are vulnerable to cervical cancer as they can be infected by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer at some point in their lives, Maryam Malik, professor in obstetrics and gynecology at Fatima Jinnah Medical College Lahore, revealed.

She said according to World Health Organization, Pakistan has already made it to the top 10 countries with highest number of cervical cancer deaths, at a rate of around 20 women every day.

Cervical cancer, she noted, is not hereditary, adding that it is caused by a common and easily transmissible virus, called the HPV.

Dr Naeem Zafar, associate professor, vice-president Pakistan Pediatric Association, said, “Women death toll is likely to increase manifold as cervical cancer has never been considered deadly in Pakistan.”

Oral cancer

Around 25,000 cancer patients are being reported in Sindh and among them the ratio of patients with oral cancer is highest.

Unfortunately, there is not a single public hospital across Sindh that can treat these patients, an oncologist informed The Express Tribune. There is only one department in the Karachi Civil Hospital which is being run by public-private partnership.

“The ratio of oral cancer is almost 35% in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan alone as against 3% to 5% in the developed countries,” said Dr Umer Farooq, the pro-vice chancellor of the Dow University.

He said that the oral cancer ranks number two after lung cancer among males and also number two among women after breast cancer. “The complete ban on chewable tobacco can save countless people from this disease,” he said

New hospital in K-P

The World Cancer Day is being observed at the time when people from all over Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and adjoining tribal areas are getting a new hospital for its cure. The Hospital will be second of its nature after Shaukat Khanum in Lahore.

Imran, time and again, said that 28% cancer patients are coming to Lahore hospital from K-P and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). But the local blood transfusions organisation believes that 40% of blood related patients belongs to this region.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2015.