Afridi orders free cancer drugs revival

Province-wide expansion for timely patient care

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has directed the revival of a program providing free medicines to underprivileged cancer patients, along with its province-wide expansion to ensure timely and cost-free treatment for eligible individuals.

The directive came during a high-level meeting on the provincial annual development program for 2026-27, held at the Chief Minister's Secretariat in Peshawar. The session reviewed proposed new projects in health, agriculture, youth affairs, sports, and relief sectors.

Describing healthcare as a fundamental pillar of public welfare, the chief minister ordered the immediate restart of the free medicine initiative for poor cancer patients and its extension across all districts of the province. He also instructed officials to ensure funds for the early completion of the Khyber Institute of Child Health project and to formally approach the federal government for resource mobilization.

To address growing urban water needs, the meeting directed the formulation of comprehensive rainwater and floodwater harvesting plans to restore water tables in major cities, aiming to tackle water scarcity and maintain ecological balance.

In agriculture, the chief minister called for a viable roadmap from the agriculture department to boost wheat and staple crop production, stressing self-sufficiency. Key proposals included the provision of modern farm machinery to growers, command area development for small dams, interest-free loans for agricultural graduates, and student scholarships.

Major health projects discussed included the Khan Institute of Organ Transplant, the establishment of a Health City and General Hospital in Peshawar, medical complexes in Malakand and Kohat, and breast cancer screening centers in five divisional headquarters. Proposals also emerged for an oncology center, a burn center, and a kidney center in Mardan, along with a clinical tower in Swabi.