PESHAWAR: PTI chairman Imran Khan on Saturday called for allocation of funds for research on cancer saying this will help find the causes of the growing incidence of the fatal disease in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Twenty-three per cent of the patients at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre Lahore belong to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and therefore, research should be conducted to find out the reasons of the growing incidence of the disease in the province,” he told a seminar on cancer at the Khyber Medical University here.

The PTI chief said cancer had become the world’s most deadly disease leaving cardiac problems behind.

He said the oil prices had plunged in the international market but the government didn’t allow its benefits to trickle down to the common man.

Imran Khan said 25 million children in the country were out of school, while the people died of water-borne ailments in large numbers but the rulers were busy taking loans from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

He said the loans were to be paid off by the people in the shape of high inflation and indirect taxes.

The PTI chief said there was no investment in human capital and therefore, poverty rate in the country had gone up over the years.

He said the establishment of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Peshawar was an attempt to provide treatment to local cancer patients in the province.

“The management told us that the hospital can’t be built if Rs1 billion are not arranged but we raised the money in just one month. Later, we launched an appeal for Rs800 million to equip the hospital in one month and ended up with Rs900 million,” he said.

Imran Khan said the people should stand for justice and oppose injustices. “The people are born to strive for justice in society,” he said, adding that it hurt him to see the money ought to be spent on human development go to the luxuries of the rulers.

The PTI chief said his party’s government in the province had established ‘Among Kor’ where quality education would be provided to street children.

“Orphans from poor backgrounds will be given quality modern education to show the world that it is our responsibility to help such people,” he said.

The PTI chief said expensive machines in the province’s government hospitals were either not used or out of order forcing patients to go to private health facilities.

He said the new healthcare system would strengthen hospitals in the province and thus, ensuring the best possible patient care.

Imran Khan said the government had decided to put in place a management system to use resources on merit.

“We are very close to reforming the entire heath sector. The people will reap its benefits soon,” he said.

Earlier, KMU Vice Chancellor Professor Mohammad Hafizullah gave a presentation on the university’s performance since its establishment.

He called for more and more research on diseases prevalent in the province.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2016