KARACHI:
The low standards of the prevailing health system in terms of accessibility and governance have caused suffering to about 80% of the people of Pakistan. Most of the population pays out of their pockets for health services. To make a very tragic and long story short, the status of Pakistan’s medical framework is nowhere near being appraised to the community’s overall demands.
In this context, the status of radiation therapy has also been worst. Nevertheless, thanks mainly to Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), a gradual modernisation in radiation oncology infrastructure has been observed over the last few decades. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s role has been instrumental. Moreover, charity-funded institutions (such as Shoukat Khanum Memorial Trust Hospitals) and provincially supported infrastructures (such as Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Jeelani Institute of Medical Sciences, Gambat) have been like milestones in this concern.
Even with more than 50 radiation treatment units, around 25 to 30 available linear accelerators, more than 30 Cobalt-60 machines and other state-of-the-art facilities (such as Gamma knife), the number is far lesser than the average demand as per the global standard of one unit per one million population.
There is a high need to build the infrastructure and launch comprehensive programmes for producing trained users. The role of the Pakistan Organization for Medical Physics can be more beneficial with proper state support.
Dr Intikhab Ulfat
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, August 11th, 2022.
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