Pakistan, Roche ink agreement to supply free cancer medicines

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has signed an agreement with Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche to provide free medicines for cancer patients at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal announced.

Under the agreement, patients from Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan will benefit from the programme. In the first phase, 745 patients will receive free medication.

The minister stated that the cost will be shared, with 70% covered by the company and 30% by the Pakistan government of Pakistan.

Mustafa Kamal urged that providing high-quality healthcare to the public remains a top priority.

He added that the government is focused on strengthening the healthcare system while also aiming to protect people from diseases through access to quality treatment.

Last year, Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz inaugurated Pakistan’s first advanced Coablation Cancer Treatment Centre in Lahore, marking a breakthrough in healthcare by introducing a 60-minute, pain-free cancer cure without chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

According to reports, this breakthrough facility introduces a modern treatment method that eliminates cancer at its root in only one hour, sparing patients the pain of conventional therapies.

Maryam Nawaz, speaking at the inauguration ceremony, said Punjab has become the first province in Pakistan to establish a Coablation Cancer Treatment Centre.

The technology, imported from China, is only available in the region there and now in Pakistan. Valued at Rs 250 million, each machine requires a probe costing $5,500. Maryam Nawaz announced an allocation of Rs 5 billion to fund the machines and ensure access to treatment for patients across Punjab.