Govt to continue support for cancer hospitals working on welfare basis: Murad

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the treatment of cancer patients is very costly and unaffordable for poor patients in the private sector; therefore, his government is working hard to establish cancer health facilities in the public sector and also subsidizing treatment expenditures in hospitals being operated as welfare institutions.

This he said on Monday while talking to a delegation of the Cancer Foundation led by its chairman, Maqsood Ansari. Others in the delegation were Engineer Haji Nazim and surgeon Abid Jamal. Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro and Secretary Health Saeed Awan also attended the meeting.

The chief minister was told that there was a requirement of 40 radiation machines in Karachi, but hardly there were few there; therefore, patients waited for one to two months in welfare hospitals.

He said that his government in partnership of philanthropists and the JPMC administration had established a Cyber Knife Centre for cancer patients at the JPMC. He added that the centre was functioning successfully.

Shah said his government was also financially supporting various health facilities engaged in serving poor patients with the support of philanthropists. He assured the Cancer Foundation he would support them for the purchase of Bonemaro Transplant (BMT) machines. The BMT installed in Dow hospital was a great support for the poor patients.

In the meeting, it was pointed out that the treatment of a poor cancer patient cost around Rs1.2 million in private hospitals. These expenditures were beyond the capacity of poor patients. Therefore, the welfare hospitals with the support of philanthropists and the Sindh government were subsidizing patients by providing up to Rs200,000, but even then it was difficult for poor patients to pay up the rest of the expenses. It was also disclosed that the private hospitals were charging Rs7,000 for radiation while these expenditures were again subsidised by up to Rs1,000 in welfare hospitals.

The chief minister directed the health secretary and the Cancer Foundation to meet the secretary finance and purchase some radiation machines for poor cancer patients. “We are committed with the people of the province and would provide free of cost treatment to the cancer patients,” he said and added that the on the pattern of NICVD cancer, hospitals would be established in different districts of the province.

Bohra Jamaat delegation meets CM

A delegation of Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat led by Kumail Younis met Chief Minister Syed Murtad Ali Shah at the CM House and invited him to visit their Crest of Al-Jamea-tus-Saifiya in North Nazimabad. The chief minister accepted the invitation.

Shah said that Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat had played a significant role in national development. Through the visiting delegation, he extended his invitation to the spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat, Dr Syedna Mufadal Saifuddin, to visit Karachi. “Two years have passed since his last visit. Now he should visit Karachi again,” the chief minister said and urged the delegation to pass on his invitation to Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin. The others in the delegation were Hussain Kumail and Qaizer.