The recent announcement by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz of establishing a state-of-the-art cancer hospital in Lahore has sparked mixed reactions among the public. While some have lauded the initiative as a noble gesture to provide advanced cancer treatment to underprivileged patients, others have questioned the rationale and the priority of the project.
According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan had an estimated 173,937 new cancer cases and 118,442 cancer deaths in 2018. The most common cancers were breast, oral cavity, colorectum, esophagus, and liver. The burden of cancer is expected to rise in the coming years due to population growth, aging, and lifestyle factors.
Given this grim scenario, one would expect the government to invest in preventive and primary health care measures, such as public awareness campaigns, screening programs, vaccination, and tobacco control. However, the focus seems to be on building tertiary care facilities, such as the proposed cancer hospital in Lahore, which will cater to a limited number of patients who can afford or access them.
Moreover, the decision to locate the hospital in Lahore, the capital and the largest city of Punjab, raises concerns about the equity and the distribution of health resources in the province. Lahore already has a well-established cancer hospital, the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, which was founded by Prime Minister Imran Khan in 1994 and offers free or subsidized treatment to 75% of its patients. Why does Lahore need another cancer hospital, when other cities and districts in Punjab, such as Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, and Gujranwala, are deprived of such facilities?
The government should reconsider its health policy and allocate funds according to the needs and the demands of the people, not according to the whims and the interests of the ruling party. Building a cancer hospital in Lahore may be a political stunt to win votes and popularity, but it will not solve the underlying problems of the health system. Instead, it will create more disparities and inefficiencies, and ultimately, more suffering and deaths.