Edhi Foundation, the country’s one of the largest relief agencies, is funding equipment worth 4 million dollars for “Bilquis & Abdul Sattar Edhi – Breast Radiation Bay” at Radiation Oncology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) Karachi.
The Radiation Bay, which is set to begin its services in April next year, will be jointly operated under by Patients Aid Foundation (PAF-JPMC) and the Sindh government, said Dr. Tariq Mahmood, Professor Emeritus, Radiation Oncology, Patients’ Aid Foundation, in a statement on Tuesday.
Every day, 160 breast cancer patients will get free of charge treatment on state of the art Helix Tomotherapy units.
These units will also have a new technology of fan beam CT scanners for an accurate localization of lesion and deliver radiation in a helical mode from 360 degrees and also have the SGRT/DIBH facility with zero risk of unnecessary radiation to heart.
The Sindh government has also pledged to provide funds needed for repair and maintenance of the equipment after expiry of its annual warranty, in order to ensure smooth and efficient operations, the statement added.
Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in females. Around 30,000 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed every year in Pakistan.
Almost all cases of malignant breast cancer, the statement further said, require surgery, chemo, and radiation. Surgery and chemo facilities are widely available in the public and private sectors, but slots for radiation therapy are not available for timely management of cancer due to the lack of availability of linear accelerators in the country.
Most of the Centers in Pakistan, which are offering breast radiotherapy are treating breast cancers with 2D/3D CRT, whereas the updated worldwide standard of care demands IMRT/VMAT radiotherapy and that is available at very few Centers but the cost of treatment is beyond the reach of a common man,it added.
To deliver radiation at an accurate site, a new technology has been introduced in the world, Surface Guided Radiotherapy (SGRT) and Deep Inhalation Breath Hold (DIBH) to avoid unnecessary radiation exposure to healthy critical structures. To date, this SGRT/DIBH is not available in Pakistan. SGRT&DIBH saves women’s hearts from unnecessary exposure, and it is of extreme importance, especially in younger aged breast cancer patients.
PAF-JPMC is working in public private partnership with GOS, so far enhanced JPMC bed capacity from 1,100 to 2,208 beds by constructing new buildings for various wards as outfitting them with the latest equipment and machine and ensuring continuous maintenance of the same. Further 600 bedded new projects are under completion.
Radiation Oncology at JPMC is the only Centre on the planet that offers absolutely free of charge cancer treatment with cutting-edge technologies like Cyberknife & Tomotherapy irrespective of nationality, religion and ethnicity. So far, patients from 167 cities of Pakistan and 15 countries have availed this free facility.