KARACHI- President, Child Aid Association (CAA), National Institute of Child Health (NICH), Karachi- Prof. Nizam-ul-Hasan recently said; About 600 children with various kinds of cancer ailment received treatment in Oncology Unit of NICH in 2014 and such cases are increasing day by day in Pakistan.
Prof Nizam said here that; Child Aid Association (CAA) has been providing totally free-of-cost treatment to children suffering from cancer, coming from all over the country. He said CAA successfully treated about 600 children suffering from different kinds of cancer and around 1441 patients seen in OPD in last year. He said; majority of patients come from Sindh, Balochistan, Saraiki Belt areas, Punjab province, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said; eye, skin, kidney and blood cancer are most common among children. Eye caner is a genetic disease, such cases are common in Sindh and Balochistan province. Blood cancer is most common among children across the world, including Pakistan.
He informed that high-voltage power line, telephone & cellular companies’ towers, use of cell phone, betel nut, betel leaf and Shisha smoking, are the major factors, behind the rising cases of cancer in the society. Besides this, lack of trained doctors, nurses and paramedical staff in the country, to attended to the patients with cancer, are also considered major factor behind the surge in cases at the Oncology Unit at NICH, he explained.
He said 45 percent population of the country comprises of children under 16 years of age, out of which, two percent are suffering from various kinds of cancer. 70 percent cancer cases are curable and treatable if the disease is diagnosed at the primary stage and treatment starts on time.
He said; Unfortunately a good number of people who come from interior Sindh, Balochistan and South Punjab leave cancer treatment in the middle stages, as they cannot afford a long stay in Karachi, due to economic issues. He said treatment of cancer is very costly and poor people could not afford its expenses.
