Govt, Roche Launch Rs. 10 Million Free Cancer Medicine Program

Cancer patients from Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan will receive free life saving medicines worth nearly Rs. 10 million per patient under a new five-year public-private partnership between the Government of Pakistan and multinational pharmaceutical company Roche.

The agreement was signed by the Ministry of National Health Services and Roche, aiming to reduce the heavy financial burden of cancer treatment. Under the initiative, the government will contribute Rs. 1 million per patient, while Roche will bear the remaining Rs. 9 million, making advanced cancer medicines accessible to deserving patients.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Federal Health Secretary Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh said the programme would benefit thousands of cancer patients from Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan over the next five years.

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal stated that eligible patients would receive treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). He confirmed that patients suffering from lung, liver, and breast cancer will be covered under the scheme.

The health minister highlighted that illness has pushed nearly 13 million Pakistanis below the poverty line, while cancer treatment alone costs around Rs. 9.8 million per patient over five years. He stressed that such partnerships are critical to ensuring equitable healthcare access.

Mustafa Kamal added that healthcare reforms focus not only on treatment but also on prevention, including access to clean drinking water. He credited the prime minister’s leadership for ongoing improvements in the health sector and said the initiative aims to ease both the financial and emotional burden faced by cancer patients and their families.