The Punjab government has announced that stage-III and stage-IV cancer patients will receive free palliative care at the newly established Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research.
The move has raised hopes for critically ill patients who often go untreated during the advanced stages of the disease. The provincial government has included a dedicated 100-bed palliative care block in the PC-I plan for the 900-bed mega cancer project, making it the largest government-run cancer facility in Punjab.
Medical experts note that patients in the final stages of cancer often face severe pain and are frequently denied treatment due to limited public sector facilities. Khwaja Salman Rafique, Punjab’s Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Minister, told Dawn that palliative care has been incorporated into the institute’s plan.
He added that outpatient services, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy will also be available at the new facility. In its 60th meeting for the fiscal year 2024-25, the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) approved three development schemes worth Rs. 15.736 billion, including the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology at Jinnah Hospital Lahore, provision of specialized medical equipment for JIC, and a feasibility study for teaching hospitals.
The PDWP also cleared the Rs. 74.92 billion scheme for establishing the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research. Rafique said part of the cancer institute is expected to be completed by February 2026, with the 100-bed palliative care block set to become operational in March.
Hope they will not get signatures like zakat form and reject admission like shaukat khanum
Stage 4 do not survive. What care can you give someone that’s beyond help ?
It’s the pain which needs to be cared for in the terminal states of life ,even normal pain killers dnt help them out so they need smthing to treat their pain which is endurable for them as well as their family .May Allah protect us all