KARACHI:
Our President’s wife, Begum Samina Alvi, is actively promoting the cause of fighting breast cancer. She raised concern over the data gap on breast cancer in Pakistan, which is a great impediment in planning service delivery. She has also highlighted the need for a national cancer registry, along with many other experts who are working on fighting cancer in our country. One question that arises is: why is it difficult to convert this thought into action?
One can hope that the Supreme Court’s attention will encourage the other executive branch of the state, namely the parliament, to make policies at the national level for combating cancer. Beginning from data, our legislators can pass a bill making it mandatory for hospitals to report data on cancer in a centralised manner. Experts must also highlight the need for uniform treatment guidelines according to the type of cancer across the country so that all patients can enjoy the same standard of treatment. Our neighbouring country India has a National Cancer Grid with the mandate to issue such clinical guidelines.
Even though the incumbent Prime Minister established the nation’s first tertiary care cancer centre in Lahore over two decades ago in memory of his mother Begum Shaukat Khanum. Unfortunately, we have lagged in upscaling and improving healthcare measures to prevent cancer. The government needs to demonstrate political will to scale up the effort against cancer and introduce widespread policies to fight the disease.
Mariam Khan
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, November 10th, 2021.
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