Minister says efforts on to control cancer

PESHAWAR: Health Minister Dr Hisham Inamullah Khan said Monday the government was making efforts to control cancer and other fatal diseases in the province.In a video message, the minister said every year around 5,000 patients of cancer were registered in the province while around 30,000 patients including new ones get medical treatment in different hospitals of the province.He said cancer was the second leading cause of deaths globally and poor patients were affected the most as they cannot afford its treatment cost.The minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan established Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospitals in Lahore and Peshawar to treat the patients suffering from this painful and deadly illness.Dr Hisham said the KP government had launched the Cancer Treatment Programme to provide the patients with free treatment. He said the government had allocated Rs1.9 billion so far for the programme while a pharmaceutical firm granted around Rs18 billion during seven years.The minister said patients suffering from breast cancer, blood cancer and other types of the disease were being treated at the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) in Peshawar while they also served 20 to 25 percent cancer patients from the merged districts.Addressing a ceremony in connection with ‘World Cancer Day’ at the HMC, Peshawar, Secretary Health Dr Farooq Jameel said cancer was a fatal disease and its treatment was expensive.The official said, “We should fight the disease and to help out the needy patients.” He said the government was planing to extend the programme to rest of the province.He said hazardous gases, smoking and use of naswar (snuff) were some of the main reasons for developing cancer; therefore we must avoid bad habits and unhealthy food.The secretary also visited different units of the HMC. Medical Director Dr Shahzad Akbar and Dr Abid Jameel accompanied him.

from The News International - Peshawar http://bit.ly/2DSSjH8