KARACHI, June 15: The Sindh assembly was on Wednesday informed that no cancer cases were reported in the health facilities under the control of the City District Government Karachi because there was no separate oncology department. This was spelt out in the written reply by the Sindh chief minister to a question from MMA’s Hameedullah Khan Advocate. The chief minister maintained that such patients were being provided facilities at the JPMC and Kiran hospital, under the federal government.

The house was also informed that there was no specialized centre to treat cancer patients under the administrative control of EDO (H), Hyderabad.

It was told that 13 patients of cancer had reported for treatment at Civil Hospital Thatta between January 1, 2004 and March 15, 2005. Since no facility for treatment of such patients existed in Thatta, they were referred to concerned hospitals. He also gave details pertaining to other regions.

In response to Humera Alvani’s question the Sindh assembly was informed that, at present, no separate breast cancer treatment centre existed in Sindh hospitals.

However, oncology wards were there at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy, Jamshoro; Larkana Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy; Cancer Registry Clinic, Oncology Unit, Civil Hospital, Karachi; JPMC; and Karachi Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy.

The Sindh assembly was also informed that although only one government dispensary (at UC-6, Baldia Town) existed, neither the staff nor medicines were available there because the dispensary belonged to the defunct district municipal corporation and had not been handed over to health department. The building was occupied by UC-1 administration.