PESHAWAR: The health department has planned to provide investigation to the patients of blood cancer at subsidised rates at the Medical Oncology Department of the Hayatabad Medical Complex.

Prof Abid Jameel, head of the medical oncology ward at the HMC, told Dawn that the polymerase chain reaction test for blood cancer cost more than Rs22, 000, which was unaffordable for most patients, who were poor people.

“We are in the process of holding meetings with the manufacturers of PCR machines to enable patients to undergo tests at subsidised rates.

Hopefully, we will get machines to benefit patients,” he said.

Prof Jameel said a request would be sent to the HMC administration to allow the oncology ward to make an agreement with a machine manufacturing firm.

“Once the agreement is finalised, we will place the machine in the hospital to be used for blood cancer investigation,” he said.

The ward’s head said the company would provide a free machine and the ward would use its kits on payment.

“We have been providing free treatment to blood cancer patients since 2012 but they have to undergo investigations at private labs,” he said.

Prof Jameel said the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Peshawar, was offering free tests to the blood cancer patients and efforts were underway to get the facility at the HMC.

He said the SKMCH&RC was providing free investigation to poor patients after which they were sent to the HMC for free treatment.

“Each blood cancer patients needs PCR test prior to treatment. It takes around two hours to diagnose blood cancer on a machine. If the administration permits us to install the machine, we will be able to give prompt services to the patients regardless of their financial status,” he said.

He said the HMC had proposed the provincial government to purchase own machine for free testing of patients but the proposed was rejected as the government had already been providing free treatment to patients.

“Next year, the health department will be requested again as the machine is very significant in the treatment of cancer patients,” he said.

Prof Jameel said in the last few years, the ward had provided free treatment to around 4,000 patients, including 2000 sufferers of blood cancer.

He said an amount of Rs1.2 billion had been spent by the government in that respect and the number of patients was constantly increasing.

“We have to put in place an investigation system at the hospital as more patients are now coming up due to the awareness campaigns launched at the district level,” he said.

The ward’s head said doctors and general medical practitioners had been trained in almost all districts about the cancer signs and symptoms and thus, increasing the arrivals of patients.

He said previously, 10-15 per cent of the patients coming to HMC were in Stage I and II, which were curable while the rest happened to be in Stage III or IV, whose treatment chances were dim.

“In the last few months, we received 35 per cent of the patients in Stage I or II, who stood bright prospects of treatment. We need the machine to ensure speedy investigation and treatment of patients,” he said.

Prof Jameel said the government had been spending a huge amount of money on cancer treatment.

“We want to put in place free investigations for patients,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2018