Thousands of Cancer Patients in Punjab Are Without Free Medicines for 3 Months

Thousands of blood cancer patients in Punjab are facing serious difficulties after a three-month disruption in the supply of free medicines under the provincial government's Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) treatment program.

Key points

• These include Mayo Hospital and Jinnah Hospital in Lahore, Nishtar Hospital in Multan, Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi, and Allied Hospital in Faisalabad.
• Punjab Health Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique acknowledged the shortage and remarked the administration was working to restore medicine supplies.
• Around 5, 000 patients are registered under the program.
• One of the affected drugs, Nilotinib, is a targeted therapy applied to treat certain CML patients and often requires long-term treatment under specialist supervision.
• To address the immediate shortage, provincial health authorities have authorized the five designated hospitals to purchase medicines locally under the Local Purchase (LP) arrangement.

Around 5, 000 patients are registered under the program. It provides four types of cancer medicines free of charge through five designated hospitals. Punjab Medical College Name Change Decision Resisted.

Patients normally collect their medicines every month, but supplies have reportedly remained suspended for more than three months due to delays in the government's procurement and bidding process.

For context, the shortage has forced patients to purchase expensive medicines from private pharmacies, where the drugs are additionally reportedly in short supply.

Medical experts have cautioned that prolonged treatment interruptions could pose serious health risks, particularly for patients who cannot afford the medicines.

Meanwhile, Punjab Health Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique acknowledged the shortage and remarked the administration was working to restore medicine supplies.

He explained that leading oncologists had recommended expanding the number of prescribed cancer medicines under the program from four to 27 during consultations held regarding a year ago. FIR Registration Cannot Disqualify Anyone from Administration Jobs.

While some drugs were already available in administration stocks, after the recommendation, the health department initiated a centralized procurement process for multiple medicines.

For context, the temporary measure is intended to ensure medicine availability while the centralized procurement process continues.

Rafique expressed hope that the shortage would be resolved shortly and patients would resume receiving free medicines at the designated hospitals. Stay Connected with ProPakistani. Obtain the latest news and stories wherever you prefer. Follow on Google Discover. Follow on Google News Join WhatsApp. See more ProPakistani stories in Google Search and Top Stories.

In short, thousands of Cancer Patients in Punjab Are Without Free Medicines for 3 is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.