PESHAWAR, May 12: Many patients suffering from cancer are being fleeced by doctors who ask them to buy medicines from expensive medical stores which are either owned or patronized by them.

The Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicines (Irnum) which was established in 1974 under the Atomic Energy Commission of Pakistan’s strategy to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, offers three modalities of treatment to the cancer patients, i.e. chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. The first type of treatment, chemotherapy is the most expensive where the patients are treated with medicines.

“The patients who need chemotherapy for cancer are being sent by the doctors to expensive medical stores to buy medicine,” said an oncologist.

He said, anti-cancer drugs, which are already expensive to buy, become more expensive after adding the doctor’s commission.

In most cases, patients are made to pay more than Rs20,000 for drugs which would normally cost Rs8,000.

“When I bought medicines for Rs7,650 from a store of my own choice the doctor didn’t approve of it. He sent me to a store at Shin Ghar Medicine market near Khyber Teaching Hospital where I had to pay Rs14,875 for the same drugs. This was the third time the doctor had asked me to go to this particular store,” said one Ahmad Ali. Ali had to sell his buffalo to pay for the treatment of his father.

According to a doctor at Irnum, many a time, the patients were provided cheap smuggled drugs from India at prices as that of drugs manufactured by multinationals here.

Another doctor said that not every patient needs chemotherapy for cancer but they are being suggested and given any way.

It is also a known fact that many of the oncologists are the owners of medical stores at their private clinics where some of the patients are being charged as much as Rs8,000 for a simple dextrose saline drip.

Ironically, an official at the provincial health department said that they weren’t authorized to take action against the Irnum doctors as they were under the direct control of the Atomic Energy Commission of Pakistan.