Karachi, March 06, 2019 (PPI-OT): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that after establishing National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) satellites in different district now he wanted to establish satellites of Child Cancer Care Centers at Sukkur and Hyderabad so that poor patients could reach easily.
This he said 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’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. It a three years treatment course but there is a seven percent drop out ratio when poor parent’s leave the treatment of poor children incomplete for want of travelling expenditures.
The chief minister then and there said that he wanted to establish satellite centers of cancer care center for children in Sukkur and Hyderabad for convenience of poor patients. He urged PAA team, Dr Tariq Shafi, Prof. Nizamul Hassan, Dr Salman Burney and others to prepare a detailed plan, including space for hospital, required equipment with their cost and annual operational expenditures so that the plan could be implemented.
The CAA office bearers told the chief minister that they were facing shortage of funds to run the center at NICH. The rupee versus dollar depreciation have enhanced their treatment of expenditures. The treatment of a child taken more than Rs900,000 expenditures for three years course.
The chief minister said that his government would financially support the cancer center. He directed secretary finance to release Rs50 million he had announced for Child Aid Association. “You are doing a real service to our ailing children of cancer, I am with you in your work,” he assured the Child Aid Association office bearers.
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. Therefore, the CAA needed financial support from the government and the philanthropists to continue their noble cause.
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 formal petition has been filed in the court and I am sure the court would consider our request.”
Mr Shah said that he had worked a lot in the uplift of these three hospitals and have given them ample budget and “we feel we can operate them more efficiently,” he said. The chief minister said that in order to commemorate International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day he visited the cancer ward and other facilities established by CAA at NICH. “They are doing good work and we would be supporting them,” he concluded.
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