Qaseem Shah:
QUETTA — The Government of Balochistan, under the leadership of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, has expanded the “Cancer and Deadly Diseases Treatment Initiative”, marking a major milestone in free healthcare services across the province.
This groundbreaking partnership between the Government of Balochistan and the global pharmaceutical giant Roche Pharma aims to provide free treatment for cancer and life-threatening diseases. The program covers Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Hemophilia, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), and various types of cancer, particularly breast cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer.
With this initiative, Balochistan becomes the first and only province in Pakistan to offer completely free cancer treatment and advanced care for chronic and fatal illnesses — a step seen as a revolution in the province’s healthcare system.
A high-level meeting on the “Chief Minister’s Initiative for Treatment of Cancer and Deadly Diseases – Expansion Project” was held on Tuesday at the Chief Minister Secretariat, chaired by Provincial Health Minister Bakh Muhammad Kakar. Senior officials from the Health Department and Roche Pharma representatives attended the session.
During the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of Balochistan and Roche Pharma. The agreement was signed by Health Secretary Muhammad Daud Khilji and Roche Pakistan Managing Director Hafsa Shamsi.
Speaking at the event, Health Minister Bakh Muhammad Kakar said that under the vision and leadership of Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, the provincial government is introducing revolutionary health reforms to ensure that every citizen of Balochistan has access to advanced, life-saving treatments free of cost.
