PMA says that a delay of 111 days in the treatment of breast cancer increases the risk of cancer spreading many times, and it takes about four months to start treatment after the diagnosis of cancer.
According to the Pakistan Medical Association, the timely diagnosis and treatment system for breast cancer in the country has failed. In developed countries, the prevention rate of this type of cancer is more than 85 percent, while in our country this rate is less than 30 percent.
PMA says that breast cancer screening facilities in basic health centers are non-existent, due to low awareness and social barriers, patients reach the hospital late, while expensive treatment and poverty are also major obstacles in accessing timely medical facilities. The current 111-day delay is equivalent to a death sentence for thousands of women.
According to the association, there is a severe shortage of cancer medicines and radiotherapy machines in government hospitals, free breast cancer screening centers should be set up in tehsil and district hospitals, radiotherapy machines and chemotherapy drugs should be provided immediately in government hospitals, the government should improve breast cancer screening and treatment on a priority basis, and an awareness campaign about cancer should be started immediately.