CM Sindh inaugurates Cyclotron cancer ward at JPMC

KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday formally opened the new Cyclotron cyber-knife cancer center at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) in Karachi.

The chief minister vowed to make the JPMC a model hospital, and announced a seven hundred million grant for the speedy completion of the complex of the cancer ward which has been established at the cost 4.3 million dollars.

Speaking to media at JPMC, the chief minister proudly said that this is the first ever facility in the country where cancer patients are treated free of cost, and patients from twelve different countries including Bahrain and Afghanistan and others come for treatment.

“This is a costly treatment which costs a patient around Rs5 million to Rs10 million which is unaffordable but under PPP (public-private partnership) mode we have made it possible here in the premises of JPMC,” he said.

He added that 44 percent of the under treatment patients belong to Sindh, 34 percent to Punjab and rest from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

He said that the process to recruit more than 6000 doctors has come to a final stage, and most of the hospitals facing shortage of doctors would start functioning to their full strength once the recruitment is completed.

Replying to a question, CM Sindh said Mayor of Karachi has not read the budget book. He said that over 317 schemes are going to be completed in the next financial year in Karachi because they have been fully funded.