I am a trained paediatric oncologist from Multan, the largest city of South Punjab in Pakistan. Primarily I
got my FCPS (fellowship) paediatrics degree in 2011 and then paediatric haematology & oncology
fellowship certificate from Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi Pakistan in 2014. I have experience of
working in Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, the largest cancer hospital of
Pakistan as a paediatric oncologist for 5 years. Paediatric oncology is a subspecialty of paediatrics which
deals with childhood cancer. Paediatric Oncologist is a specialist doctor who treats children with cancer.
Pakistan is a third world country with a population of approximately 225 million. Every year about 10000
new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed in Pakistan and about 50% cases remain undiagnosed. Out
of these children only about 20-30% children survive. Survival rate of children with cancer in Pakistan is
far less than the rich countries which is touching 90%.
The reasons for poor outcome of childhood cancer in Pakistan are poverty, poor infrastructure,
insufficient number of childhood cancer centres, lack of support from the governments, delayed
referrals and advanced disease which is difficult to treat.
Currently all good childhood cancer care centres are concentrated in larger cities of Pakistan like Lahore
and Karachi. Unfortunately, these centres treat only about 2000 cancer affected children every year.
Rest of the children are unable to get adequate and appropriate treatment.
South Punjab, part of the Punjab province has a population of about 40 million. Each year approximately
1500-2000 new children are diagnosed with childhood cancer in this part of the country. There is only
one public sector hospital in Multan to treat these children with limited resources and problems of
overcrowding and poor supportive care. Most of these children are referred and have to travel from
here to remote cities like Lahore and Karachi. Therefore, there is a great need to increase the number of
treatment centres in South Punjab.
The government of Pakistan should abolish private ownership of childhood cancer centres and turn
them into public sector hospitals so that poor cancer children may benefit from their services which are
very costly and difficult to afford for them. Instead of doing this they are giving childhood cancer care in
the hands of private sector through public private partnerships. Non governmental organizations
involved in public private partnerships loot funds from abroad and also misuse government resources to
get more and more profit through corruption. This policy is taking us in the wrong direction and in
future poor cancer children will be exploited more and more by the ruling elites. Governments should
invest on improvement of already working public sector childhood cancer centres all over the country so
that they meet international standards and children with curable cancers do not die due to lack of
supportive care.
(Ali Shazif MBBS, MCPS Pediatrics, FCPS Pediatrics, Fellowship Pediatric Hematology & Oncology Aga
Khan University Hospital Karachi)
A very insightful write up. Wishing God’s speed.