Sindh govt to financially support cancer centers: CM Sindh

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said the Sindh government wants to establish Child Cancer Care Centers in Sukkur and Hyderabad so that poor patients could get treatment there, ARY News reported Wednesday.

He made this announcement while talking to the administration of Child Aid Association (CAA) team led by its President Dr Tariq Shafi at NICH where they have established a cancer center.

The chief minister said his government would financially support the cancer centers.

Talking to media just after his visit and meeting with Child Aid Association, the chief minister said that the prices of medicine have escalated due to depreciation of rupee.

The chief minister’s visit was in connection with International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day being observed all over the world. The chief Minister was told that since 1999 the CAA was running Child Center Care at NICVD where 9000 cancer patients [children] have been treated so far and 7000 patients were registered with them for treatment.

Chief minister said he wanted to establish satellite centers of cancer care center for children in Sukkur and Hyderabad for convenience of poor patients. The CAA office bearers told the chief minister that they were facing shortage of funds to run the center at NICH.

Replying to a question, the chief minister said that his government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court for taking back the administration of NICH, NICVD and JPMC. “I had personally requested the prime minister when he had visited Karachi to allow Sindh government to keep the administration of these three hospitals, NICH, NICVD and JPMC”, he said and added, “Now a petition has been filed in the court in which we are pleading our case.”