Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister has utterly failed to fulfil his first pledge that he made with the people of Islamabad just after assuming his office to build a state of art cancer hospital in federal capital.

Nawaz Sharif-led federal government approved a project to construct 600-beds cancer hospital in Islamabad with total cost of more than one billion rupees that has now been increased to 3 billion rupees.

During financial year 2015-16, Rs one billion were earmarked for the construction of cancer hospital in the capital under PSDP.

Cancer disease is spreading in Pakistan like wild-fire due to the lack of medical facilities and the apathy of the federal and provincial governments towards this killer disease. Pakistan is one of the most affected countries in the region where no positive efforts are being made to control cancer.

According to the government statistics, there are more than 2.5 million Pakistanis suffering from this disease and the main reason is that the public is completely unaware of this lethal disease.

Ministry of Health and Regulation was assigned the task of execution of the project but the concerned officer of the Ministry has put this project in the dustbin and remains oblivion to the needs of the poor patients who were suffering from this disease.

During the last eleven months of current financial year, Nawaz Sharif Government did not release even a single penny for the construction of cancer hospital as now the project has been dum
ped without given any reasons.

With trashing the project the public aspiration for the construction has been dampened by the regime.

The PIMS Administration has earmarked a piece of land for the construction of cancer hospital but the government has not shown its keenness in this project.

Local parliamentarian from the PTI Asad Umer lambasted the government for not providing medical facilities to the people and told this scribe that government should construct a cancer hospital in the capital on the priority basis as it is basic need of local inhabitants.

He said this lethal disease is on rise in the areas due to missing medical facilities and the government.

Dr Khurram, a senior medical officer in Federal Government Services Hospital (Polyclinic) said cancer is epidemic disease in the country due to public unawareness about it and lack of proper medical facilities.

He said cancer hospitals should be built on priority basis and the funds allocated for this purpose should be used only for this purpose.