Healthcare professionals and civil society activists have called on the government to immediately establish large-scale breast cancer screening and treatment services across Pakistan, warning that the country is battling one of the highest breast cancer burdens in Asia, with more than 92,000 new cases reported annually.
Speaking at a seminar organised by the National Forum for Environment & Health (NFEH) in connection with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, doctors, researchers, and social leaders stressed that early detection, public awareness, and state-backed treatment are essential to reducing mortality.
Speakers demanded the creation of a national cancer registry to document accurate and up-to-date data, arguing that current official figures understate the crisis due to the absence of reporting from rural and underprivileged areas where diagnostic access is minimal.
They warned that Pakistan’s estimated 50 per cent mortality rate can only be reduced if public hospitals are equipped with mammography units, trained oncologists, and screening centres at the district level.
Dr Sara Arif, head of surgery at Memon Medical Institute Hospital, said the widely quoted figure of 90,000–92,000 cases per year excludes large segments of the population. She noted that only a handful of charitable hospitals offer free or subsidised treatment, which is insufficient for the scale of the crisis.
She pointed out that young women are increasingly being diagnosed with breast cancer and urged regular self-examination and annual mammograms after age 40.
Dr Sadaf Hafeez Chauhan of Salim Habib University highlighted the psychological burden faced by patients and urged integration of counselling and mental-health support into cancer care.
Herbal expert Dr Bilquis Sheikh advised women to avoid processed food, adopt a natural diet, and engage in physical activity to boost immunity. Nursing education leader Ruth Zia also underscored the importance of fitness in preventing lifestyle-related disease.
Shakeel Khan of the Arts Council of Pakistan said morale and family support play a decisive role in patient recovery. Senior journalist and survivor Afia Salam urged normalising public conversations about women’s health, warning that silence and stigma undermine critical health campaigns.
In a message for World Breast Cancer Awareness Day, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed concern over the rising number of cases and called for mass awareness and timely screening.
He said the provincial government is offering free mammography and diagnostic services at public hospitals and has set up cancer treatment units at JPMC and Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital.
“Early detection is the key to saving lives,” he said, directing authorities to intensify awareness efforts across the province. He emphasised that protecting women’s health is vital to national development.
NFEH President Muhammad Naeem Qureshi said the organisation will continue to lead awareness drives nationwide, but that the state must now act decisively to expand screening and treatment infrastructure.
“Thousands of women in Pakistan are dying only because cancer is detected too late or care is beyond their reach,” he said. “That is preventable — but only if the government moves at the scale and urgency this crisis demands.”