Poor patients in three areas to get free cancer treatment

Islamabad: The Ministry of National Health Services and Novartis signed a Letter of Understanding here Thursday for a public-private partnership envisaging the provision of free treatment to poor cancer patients in Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and AJK.

All CNIC holders of Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan will be enrolled in the free cancer treatment project, for which treatment centers will be functionalised at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and the Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences, Muzaffarabad.

Speaking on the occasion, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza said, the Planning Commission has approved a PC-1 from 2019-2024 in which the government will pay 10% cost of the project. This project has already been initiated by the provincial governments, he added.

Dr. Zafar appreciated the support of Novartis and termed cancer treatment as a priority of the government and the initiative as another step forward in providing relief to the masses in line with the concept of a welfare state.