This world cancer day, Ehsaas Tahafuz has announced its policy to extend support to cancer wards across Pakistan. In Pakistan, it is estimated that over 170,000 new cancer cases are reported every year. According to estimates, cancer is responsible for the highest deaths in Pakistani population, and the most common cause is inability of patients and their families to bear the catastrophic health expenditures. Ehsaas Tahafuz is the government of Pakistan’s sister programme alongside Sehat Sahulat to protect the vulnerable population from catastrophic health expenditures. Tahafuz is now rapidly scaling up nationwide, after a successful pilot over the last two and a half years in Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi. The programme supports patients facing catastrophic health expenditures, who are not covered by Sehat Sahulat. A facilitation desk has also been established at the holy Family Hospital to identify the eligible patients for Tahafuz. The programme is already running in 10 hospitals and has 900 packages across 21 departments. “We have taken a principal decision to include cancer packages in Ehsaas Tahafuz”, said Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM while speaking to media at the hospital. Cancer, she said, is the single commonest cause of catastrophic health expenditures. “Since cancer treatment is most expensive, Ehsaas Tahafuz is now ready to integrate cancer related packages in its scope of support”, Dr. Sania further added. Dr. Sania also visited the Holy Family Hospital to meet the cancer patients being treated under Ehsaas Tahafuz. At the hospital, Dr. Sania was welcomed by Medical Superintendent, Dr. Shazia Zeb and her team. SAPM took round of the hospital and met with cancer patients and their families. Later, Dr. Sania also held a meeting with technical team of medical experts, hospital administrators and programme verifiers to review the progress of Ehsaas Tahafuz.
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