Karachi’s cancer patients struggle for affordable care

KARACHI: In Karachi, cancer patients are facing a dire shortage of accessible and affordable treatment options. Despite the growing prevalence of cancer, low-income patients are left with few choices as government hospitals lack the necessary resources to provide adequate care.

The city’s few available chemotherapy and radiation facilities are overwhelmed with patients. At government-run Jinnah Hospital and Civil Hospital, cancer treatment is in short supply. In 2024, out of 44,340 patients who visited the radiology department at Jinnah Hospital, only 1,253 were admitted for treatment. These limited facilities often lead to long waitlists, with patients unable to access the life-saving treatment they need.

The city has only two radiation therapy units available at government hospitals, operated by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, while private hospitals offer radiation therapy at a cost of Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 per session. The high cost of treatment forces many patients to seek care in the private sector, often leaving them in financial ruin.

With more than 185,000 new cancer cases and 125,000 deaths reported each year in Pakistan, the situation is increasingly dire. Experts note that breast cancer, oral cancer, and lung cancer are the most common types in the region, but the lack of adequate government facilities and the prohibitively expensive treatment options at private hospitals mean many patients resort to unproven and risky alternative therapies.

Amir, whose wife is battling breast cancer, spoke about the devastating cost of private treatment. After being turned away from government hospitals due to long waiting lists, he sought care at private facilities, where his wife’s surgery and chemotherapy cost Rs1.7 million. Similarly, Mohammad Farid, a 70-year-old prostate cancer patient, shared his frustration over being denied treatment at public hospitals, forcing him to spend Rs200,000 for surgery and Rs240,000 for chemotherapy sessions at a private hospital.

According to Dr. Noor Muhammad Soomro, an oncologist, the shortage of radiation therapy units means many patients must wait months for treatment. Dr. Shumaila Khuhro, head of oncology at Civil Hospital, explained that the hospital’s 44 beds are not enough to accommodate the more than 100 cancer patients seen daily. At Jinnah Hospital, 180 patients seek treatment every day, despite only 52 available beds.

Both hospitals are the only government facilities in the province offering cancer treatment, but even they are struggling to keep up with the demand. As a result, many patients are left without the care they urgently need. For those unable to afford private hospitals, the lack of options means that cancer treatment remains out of reach for the poor, exacerbating an already critical healthcare crisis in Karachi.