JPMC grappling with severe cancer drugs shortage

Patients, families forced to purchase expensive injections, medications privately

KARACHI:

Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the largest public healthcare facility in the metropolitan city, is currently grappling with an acute shortage of essential medicines for cancer patients.

According to JPMC Executive Director Professor Shahid Rasool, the Oncology Department lacks crucial drugs and injections required for chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Providing expensive injections and medicines to cancer patients has become a major challenge.

He said that only two public hospitals offer cancer treatment in Karachi which is not adequate in a teeming metropolis of 30 million. "The JPMC does not get a separate budget for cancer treatment. We have sent an urgent request to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to make dedicated budgetary allocations and set up a special board for this purpose," he added. "This will help streamline the supply of essential cancer medications and improve overall budget management."

The unavailability of life-saving cancer treatments at the hospital has put a huge financial burden on patients and their families as they have no option but to purchase expensive injections and medications privately.

Executive Director Rasool said that the shortage of essential cancer medicines is particularly alarming given the rising number of cancer cases in Sindh, where only two public hospitals provide such specialised treatment.

He also highlighted a significant financial challenge facing Baitul Maal, citing a drastic reduction in funding from the Zakat Fund, from Rs200 billion to a mere Rs40 million. Despite this massive reduction, the hospital continues to provide medicines to unregistered patients, but the large patient volume makes it challenging.