Priced out of survival

. For thousands of cancer patients in Pakistan, the struggle to survive is increasingly becoming a struggle to afford treatment. It has recently been revealed that nearly 25% of cancer patients at Karachi's Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre are unable to complete their treatment. Even where surgery and radiotherapy are provided free of charge, the prohibitive cost of medicines leaves patients with little choice but to abandon treatment. With the cost of complete cancer care estimated at Rs3m to Rs4m, treatment remains beyond the reach of most Pakistani households. Years of back-breaking inflation have already eroded purchasing power, leaving families struggling to meet their everyday needs. For those confronted with a cancer diagnosis, the burden can be devastating. Savings accumulated over a lifetime may disappear within months, while borrowing or selling possessions offers little assurance that treatment can continue. Some patients are consequently forced to return home, only to seek medical attention again when their condition has deteriorated. That the chances of survival should depend so heavily on financial circumstances is a damning reflection of the country's healthcare priorities. Pakistan's charitable organisations and philanthropists have helped countless patients access medical care, but their contributions cannot substitute for a dependable public healthcare system. Cancer treatment requires continuity, something that uncertain donations and intermittent medicine supplies cannot guarantee. The government must therefore move beyond piecemeal financial assistance and establish a permanent mechanism to ensure that patients, particularly those from low-income households, can complete their prescribed treatment. The state must recognise that access to cancer care is not a privilege reserved for those with sufficient means. No patient should have to choose between the possibility of survival and the financial security of their family. Allowing poverty to determine who receives treatment and who does not is a failure that no responsible healthcare system should accept.