THE burden of cancer is growing across southern Punjab, but there are not sufficient medical facilities available in the region. In contrast, the Punjab government has initiated the construction of a huge cancer treatment and research facility in Lahore. While every investment in healthcare is welcome, one is compelled to ask whether Lahore was the most appropriate choice for yet another major cancer institution.

Lahore is already home to some of the country’s best oncology facilities, including dedicated cancer hospitals and comprehensive oncology departments in leading tertiary-care settings. Patients in the provincial capital have access to specialised diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and cancer surgery within a relatively short distance. The situation in southern Punjab is markedly different. Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Layyah and Bahawalnagar districts continue to face limited access to specialised cancer care.

Patients are often forced to travel hundreds of kilometres to Lahore, bearing enormous financial, physical and emotional costs. Many either abandon treatment midway or seek medical help only when the disease has already reached an advanced stage. If the objective is to improve public health outcomes and ensure equitable access to healthcare, the establishment of a state-of-the-art cancer institute in Multan, Bahawalpur or Dera Ghazi Khan would arguably have served a far larger underserved population while reducing the overwhelming patient load on Lahore’s hospitals.

Healthcare planning should not merely increase the number of hospitals; it should reduce regional disparities. The sooner the healthcare resources are distributed according to need rather than location, the closer Punjab will come to delivering truly equitable healthcare for one and all.

Muhammad Adnan Shahid
Lahore

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2026