World Cancer Day-2017 marked

"World Cancer Day-2017" was marked here on Saturday like other parts of the world with a renewed pledge to continue efforts for creation of healthy society by raising awareness and fighting against diseases like cancer through coordinated efforts.
To mark the day, different organizations arranged walks, seminar and other gatherings to highlight significance of the day to fight out against the disease by raising awareness among public.
Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said that cancer being a lethal disease could be escaped only by effective awareness campaigns through which public could be equipped well with all necessary information related to this mortal infection.
"Timely identification, effective treatment and regular exercise can help an escape from this disease as well-timed diagnosis is very essential for its effective handling," he said, adding: "Punjab government is taking inconceivable steps for timely diagnosis and free medicines for deserving cancer patients who can't afford its expenses."
Speaking at a seminar, Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Khawaja Salman Raffique said that corporate sector should play effective role for eradication of diseases, illiteracy and other social problems which is a social responsibility of the sector.
He said that Punjab government in collaboration with Novartis Pharmaceutical Company is providing free treatment facilities to the blood cancer patients and during the last three years medicines of Rs. 13 billion have so far been provided to the blood cancer patients.
For this purpose, four centers in Jinnah Hospital Lahore, Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi, Allied Hospital Faisalabad and Nishter Hospital Multan are working to facilitate the patients where cancer patients are registered from across the province. In fiscal year 2017-18, more such centers would be set up to register and treat the patients, Salman said.
Besides, Professor Sheheryar, Professor Zeba Aziz, Former Principal Allama Iqbal Medical College andJinnah Hospital Professor Mehmood Shaukat, Acting Principal Professor Arif Siddiqui, Professor Ejaz from Nishter Hospital, Professor Attika from Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi, representatives of Novartis and a large number of clinicians from different hospitals attended the seminar.
Earlier, Professor Mehmood Shaukat gave a presentation on the performance of the project. He informed that so far 3143 CML patients have been registered and all the patients are being provided medicines on monthly basis. He said that since the medicines are very costly, therefore, patients have been asked to return empty packets of used medicines to ensure proper utilization.
Khawaja Salman informed the audience that Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has approved to continue the project and its scope would also be extended to other divisional headquarters to facilitate the patients. He was of the view that patients load of teaching hospitals can be reduced by strengthening the DHQ and THQ hospitals, therefore, up-gradation of emergencies of District Headquarters as well as Tehsil Headquarter Hospitals have been started and CT scan machines would also be provided to all the DHQ hospitals during the current financial year.