Daily Times

KARACHI: The authorities of National Institute for Child Health (NICH) Karachi, forcibly discharged a minor child from Ghotki district, diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cancer, Daily Times learnt on Friday.

Kamran Channa, four-year old, a cancer patient has been battling for life because since six months of ‘late referral health system’.

Sarcomas are cancers that develop from connective tissues in the body, such as muscles, fat, bones, the linings of joints, or blood vessels.

Kamran, who belongs to Ghotki’s Qadirpur Gas Field area, developed some mass near his right ear some six months back. At first his father Imdad Channa, a taxi driver, took his ailing son to Sukkur but after one month, local hospital of Sukkur ‘referred’ him saying that they couldn’t treat him more.

The concerned father took his son Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan where he was admitted at a private health facility, where he was diagnosed with cancer. “It is apparently case of late referral. We would start his treatment in the light of reports once we get results,” Dr Jamal Raza, Director National Institute for Child Health (NICH) told Daily Times when the boy was admitted two weeks ago. Father was told at that time that once his medical reports will confirm, he will be given the treatment. However, now when the medical reports confirmed his condition, he was asked to leave the hospital.

“NICH administration told me to take away the child as soon as possible. They told me that hospital did not have enough beds for patients who treatment is expected prolonged. I am poor man and can not bear the medical and hotel expansive,” Imdad said.

Justifying NICH’s stand, Dr Jamal denied that Kamran have been discharged. “His treatment is on in hospital however we can not provide him residence on permanent basis. We can not keep long such serious patients whose chemotherapy may prolong,” he said. “The hospital is not for hoteling,” he claimed.

“The malady of ailment has been intensified in patient’s affected part,” he said. “We don’t have enough residence as we have to take care other patients as well,” Dr Jamal said.

According to Imdad, a taxi driver, and is bearing his son’s expansive by keeping vehicle’s on mortgage and unable to bear expensive further. After expulsion from NICH hospital, Imdad took his son and started living in a small hotel Cantt Railway Station area, where some philanthropists are helping him. “I have no money at all and living in hotel is very expensive,” he said.

Annoyed with Sindh’s health facilities, Imdad has appealed Imran Khan, Chairman Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) to arrange the free treatment for his ailing son.