JPMC may get $4.1m for cancer treatment

CM approves funds to replace old ‘CyberKnife’ machines with new equipment

KARACHI:

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Sunday announced a grant equivalent to $4.1 million for Patients Aid Foundation (PAF) to replace the old Cyberknife machines and equipment with the latest technology at Jinnah Post Medical Centre (JPMC).

The CyberKnife System is a non-invasive treatment for cancerous and non-cancerous tumors and other conditions where radiation therapy is indicated. The upgrade at the cancer ward will benefit patients coming to the health facility from all over the country for free treatment.

This he said while speaking at a signing ceremony of the agreement between the Sindh government and the Patients Aid Foundation for developing a working partnership at JPMC, Karachi for different projects, particularly the Cube knife here at a local hotel on Sunday.

The programme was attended by Adviser Law Murtaza Wahab, Parliamentary Secretary Qasim Soomro, Health Secretary Zulfiqar Shah, JPMC Executive Director Prof Shahid Rasool, and donors and philanthropists. The CM said that he has been told that the Cyberknife facility has a waiting list of around 2,000 patients. In order to address this grave situation, the chief minister also announced the enhancement of the annual grant to the PAF from Rs340 million to Rs540 million from the next financial year.

PAF has been serving the poor and needy patients at JPMC since 1991. Shah said that after the devolution of JPMC to the Sindh government, PAF has enhanced its bed capacity from 1,100 to 2,208 beds for which his government has already notified this new bed strength for the next fiscal year budget for the JPMC. The CM said that the PAF had installed two CyberKnife and Tomotherapy, which were jointly operated by the Sindh govt and the PAF.

"Alhamdulillah, through this joint effort today JPMC is amongst the top 10 centers in the world having two Cyberknifes and Tomotherapy and is the only center on the planet that offers absolutely free cancer treatment with cutting edge technology irrespective of nationality, religion, and ethnicity," he said. Shah said that to make this historic partnership formal, PAF and Sindh government have signed an agreement for 25 years to operate various facilities at JPMC to further improve the free diagnosis and treatment facilities that would otherwise be beyond the reach of a common person. According to the Chief Minister, the JPMC is the only public sector hospital in Pakistan that offers free PET-Ct & PET-MR irrespective of the type of cancer.

"There is no free PET SCAN facility anywhere in Pakistan," he said and added that in private healthcare centers, it could cost as much as Rs90,000 per scan. The CM said that the doctors have told him that a cancer patient may require two to three PET scans during the treatment. "Pet scan and cyclotron at JPMC is also a joint project of the Sindh government and PAF, which I had initiated in 2016," Shah recalled and said that JPMC entertains the largest number of patients compared to any other center in Pakistan. CyberKnife Unit head Prof Tariq Mahmood speaking on the occasion said that initially, the JPMC was mostly treating brain tumours. With an increased awareness in public, that CyberKnife was the best and safest treatment to cure stage-1 prostate cancer compared to surgery, the number of patients was increasing at a rapid pace. Prof Tariq said: "at present CyberKnife, unit-1 is an older technology that requires more than an hour for each patient. Whereas the newer technology to treat a patient require less than 15 minutes this unit can treat up to 30 patients in a day. At this, the chief minister announced funds equivalent to $4.1 million as a grant in aid to the PAF to get the latest model of CyberKnife at JPMC Karachi so that patients from all over the country could be benefited. JPMC Executive Director Prof Shahid Rasool thanked the donors and the PAF for their support to make JPMC one of the world's best health facilities serving ailing humanity irrespective of any discrimination.

PAF Chairman Mushtaq Chhapra traced the history of his partnership with the Sindh government at JPMC and said that the service was not possible without the support of national and international donors. He also gave details about the construction of the Medical Complex at JPMC for which the CM announced that he would provide equipment, and other related materials once the building was completed.