KARACHI, Oct 22: The Civil Hospital Karachi is planning to construct a cancer treatment facility, the first in any public sector hospital of Sindh. A 20-bed ward will be constructed on the first floor of the newly established dispensary in the OPD area.

Clinical Oncologist and In-charge Cancer Unit, CHK Dr Noor Muhammad Soomro told PPI on Friday that at present cancer patients were only being provided OPD facility, while patients needing to be admitted were being referred to private hospitals or the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre Karachi, a federal government health facility.

Some 1,300 new cases had been reported in the cancer OPD of CHK during the last two years, while there were 10,000 patients in follow-ups, he said. "Most cases are of oral cancer in men and breast cancer in women. These patients are provided medicines and chemotherapy for which two beds were arranged through donations and zakat," he added.

"There is no oncology unit in any public sector hospital throughout Sindh, which is very much needed, as a majority of patients belong to poor families. There are eight oncology units in Punjab, two in Balochistan, and two in the NWFP, while there are two in Sindh, both are under the federal government," he informed.

He said there was no annual budget for cancer patients at the CHK. "In 2003, medicines worth Rs1 million were provided to the Cancer OPD, and governor Dr Ishratul Ibad had announced Rs1 million in August, 2004, but the amount has not been received so far," he added.

"The cancer ward will be constructed at a cost of Rs2.5 million that will be borne by the Pakistan Cancer Patients Welfare Society. The project will be completed in nine months," he said, adding attendants of cancer patients would also be made aware of the disease at the CHK through various programmes. - PPI