NS Cancer Institute returns borrowed drugs

Govt hospitals receive back disposables after inauguration delay

LAHORE:

Weeks before its opening, the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research has begun returning medicines and surgical supplies borrowed from several government hospitals.

According to an official, medicines and surgical disposables worth millions of rupees, temporarily sourced from other hospitals were being handed back with immediate effect.

The borrowed stock, stored at the Maraka Warehouse in Lahore, included essential injections, syrups, intravenous cannulas, syringes and other consumables meant to support initial operational readiness.

The borrowing involved several major government hospitals across the provincial capital. The Children's Hospital is set to receive 582 vials of injection, while Mayo Hospital will receive 1,000 units each of IV cannulas of gauge sizes 18G, 20G, 22G and 24G. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is due to receive 3,672 doses of 40mg injections. The Government Said Mitha Hospital will get back 5,000 bottles of syrup and Mian Munshi Hospital is also reclaiming a sizable stock of syrups and other medicines. Lahore General Hospital will recover over 38,000 disposable syringes along with more than 9,000 doses of injectable medicines.

According to health department sources, Hospital Director Dr Hafiz Muhammad Waseem has instructed the medical superintendents of the hospitals concerned to ensure immediate collection of their items, emphasising that delay could affect strained healthcare services. He clarified that the medicines had been borrowed before the completion of the formal tendering process as part of preparations for Phase One of the cancer institute.

However, the phase scheduled for inauguration in January has been postponed to May. Health sector experts argue that the revised timeline exposes gaps in planning and raises concerns over whether the hospital was pushed to appear operational before essential procurement processes were finalized.

A health department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that while short-term borrowing between public sector hospitals occurred, the volume involved in this case was unusually high.

"When hospitals already facing shortages lend thousands of consumables even temporarily, it raises red flags about coordination and system capacity," the official remarked.

Public health analysts say the episode highlights structural challenges in rolling out large public healthcare initiatives.

"There is constant pressure to demonstrate progress especially with flagship projects," said a Lahore-based health policy expert. "But readiness should be judged by completed systems, not interim arrangements."

Many cancer patients and their families continue to view the institute as a long-awaited hope. "If this hospital provides affordable cancer treatment, then it will save countless lives," said Sarmad Hussain, a patient attendant outside a government hospital. Others however have expressed concern.

The vision of the Nawaz Sharif Cancer Institute remains expansive as a modern public sector facility aiming to offer comprehensive cancer diagnosis, treatment and research services under one roof, reducing the burden on existing tertiary hospitals.

The institute is currently focusing on finalising tenders, staffing and infrastructure readiness. Hospital management maintains that the return of borrowed medicines is a corrective step toward transparency and fully independent operations before patient care officially begins.

The institute has been constructed in Raiwind.