Pakistan’s first ever “Proton therapy-based cancer hospital’ to set in Karachi aims to provide diagnostics to treatment totally free.
The Memory of Understanding (MOU) was signed at the Governor House Karachi on Thursday. Governor of Sindh Kamran Tessori, Secretary General of JDC Foundation, Zafar Abbas (Sitara e Imtiaz) and US based Pakistani businessman and philanthropist, Dr Ali Sheikhani were presented in the occasion.
Kamran Tessori appreciated the services of JDC and Zafar Abbas. He called Abbas as “One Man Army’, and assured his full support and assistance. He said that Zafar Abbas is already a record holder in human social services.
“Now he (Zafar Abbas) has joined hands with Dr Ali Sheikhani to set a first state of the art free cancer hospital in Pakistan to use proton based therapy for treatment of various cancers. I assure him for my help and cooperation, “said Kamran tessori.
Secretary General of JDC, Zafar Abbas said that majority of people cannot even afford the cancer diagnostic let alone the treatment. For instance, few mammograms needed to confirm the malignancy in breast and the whole process costs 6 to 8 hundred thousand rupees! Similarly, more amount needed for the treatment.
He said that proposed “JDC Shamim Sheikhani free cancer hospital,’ to provide free services from diagnosis to final treatment. The land for the “JDC Shamim Sheikhani free cancer hospital,’ have been allocated near Numaish area however 20 acres of land purchasing is in negotiation for 400 beds hospital. The complex will even provide residence for the people of Sindh from remotest areas.
The CEO of Shamim Sheikhani Foundation, said that his mother died with belated diagnostic of cancer. The hospital on her name will provide all modern facilities along with Proton Therapy. He assured for full support to Zafar Abbas.
The CEO of Allmed solutions, Ejaz Mirza announced to provide free mammogram machine for the proposed cancer hospital. Highlighting the importance of Proton Based Therapy he said that it is more effective as compared to traditional radiotherapy practices. In response to a question he said that many patients faced relapse of cancer even after the radiotherapy. The proton therapy is more effective and well targeted.
Proton therapy is a precise form of radiation treatment that uses protons to target tumors directly with sub-millimetre accuracy. Unlike traditional radiation, it minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissue, potentially reducing side effects.
The technology is also helpful for the juvenile cancer treatment as children often respond mildly with traditional radiotherapy. It is the most successful radiotherapy procedure so far.
Lastly, the JDC representative Captain Doctor Raza and MD of Allmed solution, Imran Danish also signed MOU in presence of Governor Sindh, Zafar Abbas and Dr Ali Sheikhani.
