Child Aid Association President, National Institute of Child Health, Prof Nizamul Hasan has said that two per cent child population of Pakistan is suffering from cancer, out of which 50 per cent have blood cancer.
Talking to PPI, Prof Nizam-ul-Hasan said approximately two per cent child population of the country from one month to 14-year-age are suffering from various types of cancer diseases including blood cancer, lymphoma, eye, and brain cancer. He informed that blood and eye cancer in children are more common in Sindh province as compared to other types.
He said eye cancer is on the rise in Sindh and Balochistan provinces due to genetic disorder. He said there are number of cancer care centers and medical staff to cater to the cancer cases in Pakistan.
He said out of total cases that emerge every year in the country, only 40 to 50 per cent are brought for treatment, while rest of children with cancer remains untreated. He informed that over 1,000 children with various kinds of cancer were successfully treated at Oncology Unit of NICH last year free of cost.
Prof Nizam said the CAA successfully treated over 6,000 registered children suffering from different kinds of cancer since last 18 years and thousands other patients were seen in OPD since establishment of Oncology Unit.
He said currently there are three cancer care treatment centers in Karachi where all advance cancer treatment and diagnostic facilities are available. He said there is acute shortage of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff in the country to attended patients with cancer diseases. He said 70 per cent children with cancer can be cured if the disease is diagnosed at the primary stage.
He stressed the need of training of doctors, paramedics and nurses to deal the children with cancer disease at regional level as treatment required special skill to deals such patients.
He said unfortunately a big of number of people who come from interior Sindh, Balochistan and other parts of country leave cancer treatment in middle stages as they cannot afford long stay in Karachi due to financial issues. He said treatment of cancer is very costly and majority of people could not afford its expenses.
He stressed the need of adopting prevention strategies in the society to save children from cancer in future. He informed that the Child Aid Association (CAA) has been providing free of cost treatment and diagnostic facilities to children suffering from cancer coming from all over the country.
