Cancer patients left helpless: Funds dry up, treatment comes to a halt in these Pakistani institutes

Health Secretary Shahidullah Khan said he is in contact with the planning and development department to arrange re-appropriation of funds so that treatment for patients can resume.

As reported by Dawn News, more than 1,000 underprivileged patients registered for cashless treatment are currently awaiting essential medicines at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), and Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH).

Sources indicated that the government had earmarked Rs 1,500 million for the free treatment programme for the fiscal year 2025–26. However, only Rs 820 million has been released so far, leaving a shortfall of Rs 680 million, which has delayed the continuation of treatment.

The initiative, launched in 2013 under the leadership of Prof Abid Jamil at HMC, aimed to provide free treatment—particularly for blood cancer patients—through a public-private partnership model. The programme, however, lost momentum following his retirement.

Hospital sources told Dawn News that essential medicines have run out, and repeated requests for supplies have not yielded results.

Commenting on the situation, HMC Director Dr Gulzar Ahmed Khan said, “We are awaiting funds and have submitted requests to the health department. Free medication will resume as soon as funds are released.”

The funding delay has left hundreds of vulnerable patients in uncertainty, highlighting ongoing challenges in sustaining critical healthcare programmes in the region.