20 family members afflicted with cancer

5 members of the Masood family died of cancer in the last three months.

MULTAN: Over 20 members of a family from Layyah 389 TDA have been diagnosed with cancer over the past few years.

Doctors at the local DHQ hospital said that the Masood family members had an extremely strong genetic tendency to develop cancer and so far most of the family suffered from bone and skin cancer.

The executive district officer (EDO-Health) referred the family from Nishtar Hospital, Multan to Jinnah hospital in Lahore when five people died from cancer in the last three months. Residents blamed the contaminated water for most diseases and genetic disorders that have developed among residents of the district. According to residents several other people in the area have also been suffering from various kidney, skin and lung diseases.

Members of the Masood family have appealed to the Punjab government for financial assistance in order to relocate to Lahore for their treatment. “We don’t have the money to treat everyone here let alone in Lahore,” said Saeed Masood, who has skin cancer. Saeed said that his brothers and their children as well as his two sons also suffered from skin cancer.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2010.