Cancer patients from Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan will receive free medicines worth nearly Rs. 10 million per patient under a five-year public-private partnership initiative.
The Ministry of National Health Services signed an agreement on Friday with multinational pharmaceutical company Roche to provide the medicines.
Under the agreement, the Government of Pakistan will contribute Rs. 1 million per patient, while Roche will cover the remaining Rs. 9 million.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Federal Health Secretary Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh said the initiative would benefit cancer patients from Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
He added that the partnership would continue for five years and is expected to support thousands of cancer patients during this period.
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said the treatment facility would be available at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for eligible patients from the three regions.
He stated that illness has pushed nearly 13 million Pakistanis below the poverty line, while cancer treatment alone costs about Rs. 9.8 million per patient over five years.
The minister said patients suffering from lung, liver, and breast cancer would be treated under the programme. He added that healthcare reform includes both treatment and prevention, such as ensuring access to clean drinking water.
He credited the prime minister’s leadership for ongoing improvements in the health sector and said cancer affects entire families, noting that the initiative aims to reduce both the financial and emotional burden on patients across the country.