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MUZAFFARABAD(Manend News) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday praised the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission’s (PAEC) role in the health sector, calling modern cancer treatment the greatest service to humanity.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Kashmir Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and Radiotherapy (KINOR), the prime minister said there could be no nobler profession than serving patients at their doorsteps, particularly those who previously had to travel from Muzaffarabad and other remote areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to Islamabad for treatment of the life-threatening disease.
In his remarks, broadcast live on national television channels, he commended the efforts of PAEC and other related authorities and urged them to remain mindful of the pain and suffering of patients who lacked the financial resources to bear the high costs of cancer treatment.
Referring to his personal experience, the prime minister said he himself was a cancer survivor and that treatment for the disease was expensive. He stressed the need to consider the hardships faced by patients who travel from remote parts of the country to major cities for treatment and are unable to afford the associated expenses.
Says providing treatment at patients’ doorsteps would ease hardship for people from remote areas of valley
Lauding PAEC’s services, he emphasised the need to take further steps to contain the disease by providing hope and relief to cancer patients.
Earlier, the prime minister visited various departments of the hospital and was briefed on the facilities available.
Speaking on the occasion, PAEC Chairman Dr Raja Ali Raza Anwar highlighted the commission’s contributions to the health sector, stating that 20 cancer treatment centres established with PAEC support were currently bearing around 80 per cent of the country’s cancer patient load.
He said PAEC was providing the latest facilities and care through awareness, screening, and early diagnosis. He added that KINOR would be the 21st such facility in the country and would offer quality healthcare services to AJK residents close to their homes, equipped with modern technology under the supervision of PAEC oncology experts.
Dr Anwar noted that nearly 60pc of patients present at advanced stages of the disease, underscoring the urgent need for early screening, awareness, and timely diagnosis.
He added that approximately 1,000 new cancer patients from AJK travel annually to PAEC hospitals in other provinces, facing long distances and significant financial burdens.