Cancer care divide

The city of Karachi is facing a concerning crisis in healthcare with gravely inadequate facilities for cancer treatment at government hospitals, practically barring an entire socioeconomic class from receiving medical aid. Apart from those at private hospitals, there are only two radiation units in the city, one at Jinnah Hospital and the other at Kiran Hospital. Civil Hospital, which is another public care facility, only has 44 beds in its cancer unit. To put these numbers into perspective: Civil Hospital receives over 100 cancer patients in its cancer OPD daily, while Jinnah Hospital receives nearly 180.

Depending on the severity of the illness, cancer treatment may require a single radiation session or somewhere around five sessions per week for several weeks. With private radiation therapy costing Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 per session, this can cost up to Rs400,000 per month excluding multiple caregiving expenses. The average monthly household income in Sindh stands at around Rs40,000 — which is 10% of the cost. Private treatment therefore is entirely out of the question for low-income patients. This leaves them with no other option but under-resourced, understaffed and overcrowded government hospitals that can barely manage to handle existing patients. Modern medicine is a 21st century miracle. But unfortunately for many, this miracle remains stuck behind a paywall. Limited access to healthcare, late diagnosis and general socioeconomic disparities all contribute to higher mortality rates in lower-income populations.

Government hospitals are in dire need of funding and attention. The disparity between diseased persons and inbound patients is too high to be fixed without targeted intervention. The government must recognise the lapse in equitable healthcare facilities across all socioeconomic classes as it is duty-bound to provide care to its citizens, and accessibility is the first step to care. Without such measures, the cycle of preventable deaths will only persist.