Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has inaugurated the country’s first public-sector co-ablation centre for cancer treatment at Mayo Hospital.
During her visit to the hospital, she inspected the first co-ablation machine installed in the surgical ward and met the centre’s doctors and paramedical staff.
She also interacted with cancer patients undergoing the co-ablation treatment introduced in China.
In a detailed briefing given by Senior Radiologist Dr Shehzad Kareem Bhatti, the chief minister was informed about the mechanism of the machine, which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze cancer cells at -198°C, followed by heating the affected tissue up to 83°C in the second phase to destroy targeted cancer cells.
Dr Bhatti said the procedure takes one to two hours and most patients are able to walk within a few hours.
The cost of treatment per patient is around Rs1.6 million.
The chief minister issued directions for the procurement of five additional machines and said a dedicated pool of trained doctors and staff should be deputed for the procedure.
She ordered that master trainers be brought in for skill development and sustainability of the programme.
The chief minister was informed that the machine was being used for early-stage treatment of liver, lung and breast cancer.
The senior radiologist said five patients had successfully undergone treatment at the centre so far.
The chief minister met patients Rana Asghar, Muhammad Akram, Parveen and Iqbal Bano.
The medical team said Rana Asghar’s complex liver cancer had been treated through co-ablation, while Muhammad Akram had a tumour in his lungs successfully removed through the procedure.
Dr.Shehzad Kareem Bhatti, along with bioengineers and technicians, has received training in China to operate and manage the advanced technology.
Chief Minister Maryam expressed satisfaction at the commencement of cancer treatment through the technology.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, she reaffirmed her commitment to providing free and timely treatment to cancer patients across the country.
She said she had come across the co-ablation machine during her visit to China.
“Impressed by the latest technology and its potential to revolutionise cancer treatment, I immediately signed an MoU with the manufacturing company to introduce this technology in Punjab,” she said.
“The health sector was declared Punjab government’s foremost priority during my visit to China. I received a detailed briefing on co-ablation treatment from Chinese officials, including a video demonstration,” she said.
She stated, “No hospital in the region,including India, currently has a co-ablation machine. If we cannot spend money on the treatment of helpless cancer patients, then what else should we spend it on?”
The chief minister announced that cancer patients from other provinces would also be treated at the centre and reaffirmed that the treatment would be free.
She said, “Having witnessed my own mother suffering from cancer, I personally understand the pain and fear that a whole family experiences when one member is diagnosed with cancer.”
She said kidney cancer treatment would also be launched at the centre soon.
Plans are being pursued to expand the services to include gallbladder, bone marrow and soft tissue cancers.
The chief said the facility had had a promising start.
She said the technology involves a minimally invasive procedure.
