LAHORE: What appears to be criminal negligence on the part of the health authorities concerned has risked health and lives of thousands of low-income cancer patients across the province as the five public sector hospitals have reportedly stopped dispensation of free-of-cost drugs to them under the Punjab Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) project, launched by the then chief minister, (now PM) Shahbaz Sharif, in 2014.

Because of the suspension of free anticancer drugs, the registered cancer patients visiting the five notified hospitals --Mayo Hospital and Jinnah Hospital Lahore, Allied Hospital Faisalabad, Nishtar Hospital Multan and Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi -- from far-flung areas of the province, have been left in lurch as they will have to buy their medicines from the market, increasing their hardships manifold.

The leading factor behind the non-dispensation of cancer drugs to the 6,000 poor registered patients was said to be an inordinate delay in initiating the tendering process for the procurement of the anticancer medicines, to be supplied to the notified public hospitals.

Some senior oncologists say that delaying cancer treatment can significantly increase the risk of adverse outcomes for the patients, including death. According to them, cancer, a group of diseases, involves abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other body parts. They say the studies indicate that even a four-week delay in treatment was associated with increased mortality risk across most common forms of cancer.

Interestingly, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique and other PML-N leaders had backed the protests staged by the registered cancer patients in September 2019, during the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government in Punjab. During the protests, scores of these patients took to the streets and suspended the Metro Bus services on Ferozepur Road against the shortage of the free anticancer drugs.

At that time Khawaja Salman had lashed out at the then PTI chief minister Usman Buzdar and health minister Yasmin Rashid, accusing them of deliberately suspending the CML project launched by the last PML-N government, by delaying procurement process, declaring it “apathy towards critical cancer patients”. An official privy to the development says that PM Shahbaz Sharif, as Punjab CM, had launched the CML project as a lifeline for the low-income blood cancer patients. Many senior oncologists had then recommended to Mr Sharif that a majority of the poor patients were unable to purchase costly anticancer drugs from the market, and the project would help save lives of thousands of critical patients. Khawaja Salman was then advisor to the Punjab CM on health, the official adds.

The official says that drug distribution centres were accordingly established in the major hospitals of Punjab, where cancer patients registered under the project could collect their medicines every month after regular check-ups.About the delay, he says that the specialised healthcare department initiated the contract-awarding process for drugs procurement too late - in October 2025 - inviting bids from the interested firms.

He says that two meetings of the Technical Evaluation Committee were held on Nov 3 and Nov 19, while the financial bids were yet to be opened and it may take “some more weeks.” The processes of awarding contracts to the qualified firms and drug testing will further take time, delaying the supply of anticancer medicines to the hospitals at least till January, 2026, the official says. He apprehends that the situation may lead to casualties among the patients who can’t afford costly private treatment.

The official regretted that the health minister was busy chairing meetings on law and order and other affairs, instead of focusing on his own assignment and the plight of the cancer patients.

“Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz should take notice of the sufferings of the cancer patients as well as the negligence of the health authorities in this respect,” he suggests.

The spokesperson for the Punjab health minister says that 93 percent of the patients enrolled under the CML project were getting two types of the anticancer medicines free of cost.

Of them, he claims, one type was available, while the other has been dispatched to the Drug Testing Lab (DTL) and results are awaited.

He says that a committee comprising senior oncologists and medical experts was constituted to suggest more drugs to be added to the list of free medicines meant for the rest of the registered cancer patients. On the recommendations of the committee, he says, the process for the purchase of these drugs has been initiated. The drugs will be supplied to the hospital soon after the process completes, the spokesperson says.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2025