Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety (PA&SS), Syed Imran Ahmed Shah, visited Atomic Energy Cancer Hospital (AECH), Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and Radiotherapy Institute (NORI) in Islamabad on Thursday to review welfare initiatives supported by Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) for underprivileged cancer patients.
The Minister’s delegation was received by Member (Science), PAEC, Director General (Cancer Hospitals), and the Director of NORI. The visit was coordinated by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), under whose auspices NORI operates as one of the country’s leading cancer care institutions, providing advanced diagnostic and treatment services to patients.
Speaking on this occasion, Syed Imran Ahmad Shah paid rich tribute to AECH NORI and other hospitals of PAEC for doing a wonderful job. "Today's visit is in line with the vision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for ensuring poverty alleviation, which is not a slogan but a mission for us.” The Federal Minister reiterated that the reach of Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal and other such initiatives of social safety will be expanded through increased budgetary allocation in the coming years to the benefit of deserving patients.
The Federal Minister informed the gathering of the recent enhancements given to the Bait-ul-Maal by the Government, which has significant benefits for the underprivileged patients. The Individual Medical Assistance has been enhanced from 1 million to 1.5 million. Since 2008, the Bait-ul-Maal has allocated around 3.4 billion rupees to AECH NORI, which has financed the treatment of almost twenty-nine thousand patients.
Moreover for the current fiscal year, uptil now approximately 1008 patients have been given financial assistance from Pakistan Bait ul Mal amounting to 226 million approximately.
He said, "One important point needs clarification that the money given to patients through PBM is neither Zakat nor Charity, it is rather endowment fund granted by the Federal Government. "The Minister issued directions that maximum number of patients be referred to PBM for their treatment. The Federal Minister further stated, "What we are currently practicing in Pakistan is not healthcare but patient care because healthcare means taking care of people before they fall ill. We should focus more on taking preventive measures than the curative care."
The Federal Minister issued directives that the mechanism for disbursement of funds to the PBM-sponsored patients be made hassle-free and the waiting time for patients at hospitals should be reduced.
Earlier, Dr. Shakeel Abbas Rofi, Member Science PAEC, briefed the Minister on AECH NORI’s patient care services, treatment capacity, and the positive impact of PBM assistance in reducing the financial burden on deserving families. He highlighted the role of PAEC’s 21 cancer hospitals working throughout the country in delivering modern cancer care and lauded continued government support for expanding social safety nets in collaboration with public healthcare providers.
On this occasion, Dr. Humera Mahmood, Director AECH NORI, gave a detailed presentation about the hospital highlighting its contribution at the national as well as internationally with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has designated AECH NORI as a 'Rays of Hope Anchor Centre' in 2023.
Later, the Federal Minister inspected various PBM-supported service components, assessed operational challenges, and interacted directly with patients and beneficiaries to obtain firsthand feedback regarding the effectiveness of ongoing welfare support. He reaffirmed the government’s firm commitment to ensure access to quality healthcare and social protection for vulnerable segments of society, particularly those battling life-threatening diseases.
