World Cancer Day: Experts Stress Need For Setting Up New Hospitals To Cater Growing Incidences

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Feb, 2023 ) :Experts on Friday stressed the need for setting up new cancer hospitals keeping in view the growing incidences of the deadly disease as 1.7 million cases emerged in the country last year.

A total of 90,000 women and 88,000 men were diagnosed with cancer in 2022  with most breast cancer in Pakistan, they informed.

Over 35,00 patients visited Multan Institute of Nuclear Medicines & Radiotherapy (MINAR) out of whom 1,000 were breast cancer, Dr Qurat ul Ain stated, adding that the rest of the patients were suffering from throat, liver, stomach, blood, intestine and food pipe cancers.

She maintained that the hospitals were working across the country under Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) which was established in 1956 and the first health facility was set up in 1960 named Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in Karachi.

The oncologist noted that though several other cancer hospitals including Nishtar Cancer Centre, BINO and Victoria Hospitals Bahawalpur etc are there but there is a dire need of building new health facility for treating cancer.

She informed that MINAR was extending Mammography, ultrasound, FNAC, Biopsy, MRI, Cardiac, Kidney, Bones, SPECT- Scans and other facilities to patients who are pouring in from South Punjab, KP and Balochistan.

LINAC and Brachytherapy machines are also available with the health facility for early diagnosis of cancer including cervical cancer of women, Dr Qurat said.

Nishtar Medical University (NMU) Oncology Department head, Dr Ahmed Ijaz Masood stated that Nishtar Cancer Centre was equipped with state-of-the-art facilities adding that new hospitals will help in reducing the rush of patients on existing health facilities.

He said that the cancer society and oncology department's joint efforts materialized the dream of a cancer centre and added that unhealthy diet, ultra-processed food are some of the reasons for increasing the mortality ratio of cancer. Smoking is the main cause of cancer in the country, he concluded.