More than 5,000 cancer patients in Punjab have reportedly been deprived of free medicines for the past two months due to shortages under a government treatment programme, leaving many struggling to afford expensive medication.
According to sources, the shortage has disrupted treatment under the Punjab government’s CML programme, which provides medicines to patients, including those suffering from blood cancer. The supply of nilotinib, a medicine used to treat certain types of blood cancer, and other drugs has reportedly been affected.
The reasons behind the shortage remain unclear, while patients say they have been forced to purchase medicines from private pharmacies at prices running into thousands of rupees.
Patients have expressed concern that the additional expense is placing a significant financial burden on them, particularly as they depend on the government programme for access to treatment.
Previously, free medicines were provided through designated centres at Mayo and Jinnah hospitals in Lahore, Allied Hospital in Faisalabad, Nishtar Hospital in Multan, and Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi.
The Punjab government’s programme to provide free cancer treatment and medicines was launched in 2014 during the tenure of then-chief minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The reported disruption has raised concerns among patients who rely on the programme for regular access to essential cancer medicines.