PESHAWAR, Sept 17: Imran Khan has said a full-fledged cancer hospital will be built in Peshawar. He was inaugurating a walk-in clinic of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in the University Town here on Sunday.

“Since 30 per cent of cancer patients visiting the Shaukat Khanum Hospital belong to the NWFP, it was decided to open a clinic here so that patients don’t have to travel to Lahore for treatment,” Mr Khan said.

He said patients would be first examined here and, if necessary, would be referred to Lahore.

Mr Khan said Rs1 billion was being spent annually on treatment of patients, of which 50 per cent came from Zakat. He said treatment of cancer was expensive and per patient cost was Rs600,000 or more. He said the walk-in clinic would remain open from 9am to 5pm where patients would be seen by doctors on first come, first serve basis.

He said 25 per cent of patients paid for their treatment, adding that equal attention was paid to patients whether they paid for their treatment or not.

He said NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai had promised to allot a land for construction of a diagnostic centre and a hospital in Peshawar. This centre, he added, would be the first treatment facility outside the Shaukat Khanum hospital.

Mr Khan said patients treated at Lahore would visit the clinic for follow-up checkups and they would not have to visit Lahore for minor complications.

He expressed concern over bureaucratic hurdles in establishing a diagnostic centre in Karachi. He said land had been acquired for the centre in Karachi, but its construction was subject to government’s clearance.

The CEO of the SKMCH, Dr Faisal Sultan, said the hospital had started working in 1994 in Lahore, but it was impossible to entertain all patients.

“There were about 200,000 new patients of cancer every year. We need more cancer hospitals, nurses and doctors,” he said.

He said the SKMCH was planning to expend its facilities to other cities to provide better diagnostic and treatment facilities to patients.

“Most of patients visit the hospital in the last stage of their disease, which is incurable and we have to refuse such cases,” he said, adding that patients should contact doctors at the earliest stage.

He said chemotherapy would also be started at the Peshawar clinic.