Karachi : With an estimated 92,000 new breast cancer cases emerging in Pakistan every year, healthcare experts have stressed the urgent need for mass-scale screening and treatment facilities in the public sector to ensure early diagnosis and safeguard women’s health across the country.
This key demand was echoed by medical practitioners, researchers, and social activists at a breast cancer awareness seminar organised by the National Forum for Environment & Health (NFEH) at a local hotel. The event was held in connection with October—internationally observed as Breast Cancer Awareness Month—to highlight the growing threat of the most lethal cancer affecting women worldwide.
The speakers unanimously called for the establishment of a national cancer registry to compile reliable and comprehensive data on all forms of cancer, especially breast cancer, across both urban and rural Pakistan. They lamented that women in remote areas remained largely unaccounted for in national health statistics due to their limited access to diagnostic and treatment facilities.
They warned that breast cancer carries a 50 per cent mortality rate in Pakistan, and that only timely screening and treatment can save lives. Public sector hospitals, they urged, must be equipped with diagnostic and treatment units on an emergency basis to counter this growing public health challenge.
Dr Sara Arif, Head of Surgery at Memon Medical Institute Hospital, said that the available figure of 90,000 to 92,000 new cases annually was based on outdated data that excluded women from rural and underprivileged areas. She observed that only a handful of charitable hospitals offered cancer treatment free of cost or at subsidised rates, which was far from sufficient to meet the national demand.
Dr Arif stressed that early screening and prompt consultation with qualified doctors were vital for prevention and recovery. “Breast cancer is not confined to older women—young women in Pakistan are increasingly being diagnosed as well,” she said. She added that early detection not only ensures a higher survival rate but also reduces treatment costs, which remain unaffordable for most middle- and lower-income families due to the absence of comprehensive health insurance coverage in Pakistan.
Dr Safaf Hafeez Chauhan, Head of the Psychology Department at Salim Habib University, highlighted the psychological toll of breast cancer, underscoring the need for emotional support and counselling to strengthen patients’ willpower during treatment.
Renowned herbalist Dr Bilquis Sheikh advised women to adopt healthier lifestyles by reducing consumption of processed and junk foods, engaging in regular physical activity, and relying on natural and unadulterated diets to enhance immunity against cancer.
Similarly, Ruth Zia, Principal of the Nursing College, and Shakeel Khan from the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi both stressed the importance of healthy living and strong family support in empowering women to fight cancer with resilience and optimism.
Senior journalist and breast cancer survivor Afia Salam said that mass awareness campaigns were critical for public understanding and acceptance of preventive healthcare initiatives. She cited the failure of the recent HPV vaccination drive in Karachi as an example of how the lack of public sensitisation can derail important health interventions.
NFEH Secretary-General Ruqiya Naeem shared her personal journey of defeating stage-two breast cancer eight years ago, crediting her family’s emotional support and her own determination for helping her overcome the disease.
NFEH President Muhammad Naeem Qureshi reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to expanding its awareness initiatives nationwide. “We will continue to hold educational sessions to protect vulnerable communities, particularly women, from fatal diseases through awareness and early intervention,” he said.
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