Government urged to reduce prices of cancer drugs

Islamabad
The government needs to devise a strategy to protect cancer patients from catastrophic treatment expenses which result in depletion of their lifelong earnings. One way of doing so is to somehow reduce the prices of cancer drugs. Moreover, a hospital of the standing of the Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and Radiotherapy Institute (NORI) must immediately be equipped with a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan machine, an essential diagnostic tool that reveals the presence and severity of cancers. At present, patients in Rawalpindi and Islamabad have to travel as far as Lahore and Karachi for this test.
Views to this effect resonated at a World Cancer Day seminar organised by NORI here on Wednesday. Secretary Foreign Affairs Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Dr. Ansar Pervaiz, past and present managing directors of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal Zammurrud Khan and Abid Waheed Shaikh respectively, director of NORI Dr. Javaid Irfan, and head of the department of oncology at NORI Dr. Muhammad Fahim were prominent at the head table.
Speakers urged the government to devise a mechanism whereby the prices of cancer drugs can be reduced and brought within the reach of a majority of patients. They also demanded that NORI, which is providing excellent services to cancer patients, should be equipped with a PET scan. “PET imaging helps us to detect cancer, to evaluate the extent of the disease, to select the most appropriate treatment, to determine if the therapy is working, and to detect any recurrent tumors,” Dr. Fahim shared while talking to this scribe. Such information obviously plays a crucial role in enabling oncologists to plan an effective treatment strategy.
Even while the treatment progresses, the PET scan allows physicians to monitor the effectiveness of cancer therapies and provides physicians with the opportunity to change the treatment strategy if it is not working, avoiding the cost and discomfort of ineffective therapeutic procedures. Ironically, even a hospital of the caliber of NORI is yet to be equipped with this important diagnostic tool, which speaks volumes about how big a priority cancer treatment and diagnosis really is at the government level.
From attending the seminar, it was evident that scarcity of resources is one key challenge that stands in the way of procurement of latest equipment for cancer treatment in Pakistan. “We get no money for equipment,” Dr. Ansar stated in clear terms. Yet, at a personal level, both Dr. Ansar as well as Aizaz Chaudhry are known for exerting their influence to seek latest technology for hospitals that are rendering fabulous services for cancer patients. Aizaz, who himself is a cancer survivor, termed faith, hope and patience as the three virtues that enabled him to defeat cancer.
Dr. Ansar was particularly concerned about the light of cancer patients living in remote areas of Pakistan, where facilities of the ilk provided by NORI are simply non-existent. He floated the idea of bigger hospitals adopting a few of the 18 PAEC Cancer Centres across Pakistan so that the culture and sophistication of NORI can be transferred to other centres for the benefit of a larger population. He also recommended the need to spread public awareness about cancer through a more centralized mechanism that enables wider access to information on critical topics.
Zamurrud Khan informed the gathering that PBM made a record contribution of Rs40 crore to patients of NORI during his tenure. Both the idea of reducing the prices of cancer drugs, and that of equipping NORI with PET scan, were floated by him. The former MD of Bait-ul-Mal also urged the government o announce a ‘Greater Home’ for patients who are based abroad but have to stay in Pakistan during the course of their treatment. To this, Abid Wahid shared that PBM has already started its first pilot project of ‘Pakistan Great Great Home for Older Persons.’ He said the project has met with great success and will soon be replicated in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. A building in F08 has already been identified for the purpose, he stated. He claimed having cleared over 3,800 pending cases of medical assistance after assuming charge of PBM. Abid also referred to the financial crunch that PBM is currently beset with, but was hopeful that the situation would improve after June 2015.
Dr. Fahim enlightened the gathering with latest data on cancer prevalence and mortality. He regretted the absence of population-based cancer registries in Pakistan. The oncologist then discussed the four themes of World Cancer Day namely, healthy life choices, early detection, treatment for all, and quality of life. He said, one-third of most common cancers can be prevented by consuming a healthy diet. Improved physical activity, and avoidance of alcohol and smoking also significantly contribute to lowering one’s risk for cancer.
With reference to early detection, Dr Fahim called for integration of screening programmes into the health system and development of sustainable training activities. He was of the view that the government should take specific actions to meet the global target of 80% availability of affordable and essential medicines and basic technology. The oncologist also underscored the value of palliative care for patients suffering from an advanced stage of cancer.
Earlier on, Dr. Javed briefed the audience about the 32 years of care at NORI, which was established in 1983 and has been growing from strength to strength ever since. He made a mention of the many facilities that have recently been added at NORI; these included a latest gamma camera, chemotherapy day care centre, and a nanotheragnostic lab.
The event also featured stories of cancer survivors which included a mix of prominent personalities like ex-ambassador Munawwar Bhatti and columnist Talat Abbas, and lesser known members of the civil society, as well as children who have so enviably braved the disease. Dr. Khaleeq-uz-Zaman and member fuel of PAEC Muhammad Naeem also spoke on the occasion. The event concluded with distribution of gifts and mementoes among patients and guests.