Incidence Of Cancer Rising In Children In Pakistan

KARACHI- President, Child Aid Association (CAA) at National Institute of Child Health (NICH), Tariq Shafi urged the federal government to constitute a committee comprising of oncologists to investigate reason behind rise in cancer cases in children in Pakistan.

 President CAA, Tariq Shafi said International Childhood Cancer Day is celebrated annually on 15 February to raise awareness and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, survivors and their families.  He said joint efforts from local and international stakeholders are needed to reduce the chance of cancer in children.

He informed that Children Cancer Centre of Child AID Association is serving from 1999 at NICH with public donation. He said CAA has provided treatment and diagnostic facilities to over 7,000 children patients free of cost. He said patients not only from all over Pakistan but also from Iran and Afghanistan availed the facility at Cancer Centre.

Tariq Shafi said approximately 70 per cent of those who completed the treatment have been cured and returned to their normal life. He highlighted the activities of the association and pointed out that the number of patients has been increased to the extant. He said it has become difficult to accommodate the patients at a given time to shortage of space.

He said that about 65 per cent children avail the facility from CAA of the patients come from Karachi and some patients discontinue the treatment because of accommodation problems during the problems.

He requested the Army Chief to help the association in providing plot of Army Welfare Trust situated opposite the National Institute of Child Health Building.  He further urged the philanthropists to come forward and donate generously since the budget of the association is not enough to cure this menace.