The introduction of “Cyberknife Technology” at Jinnah Hospital Lahore and Nishtar Hospital Multan has been authorized by Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. Patients will receive free advanced services and will be treated for fatal diseases like cancer and tumors as well as other complex diseases using this technology.
Doctors in the relevant professions will receive advanced training on how to operate this equipment and administer treatment programs. Before this initiative, the Radiation Oncology Department at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), which also provided Tomotherapy to patients, had access to CyberKnife Technology. Yasmeen Rashid, a doctor, said:
“Cancer patients in Punjab have been provided with cyber knife treatment through Sehat Sahulat Card while data of cancer patients undergoing treatment through this card will be compiled.”
For both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors as well as other disorders where radiation therapy is prescribed, cyberknife technology offers a non-invasive treatment option. It is used to treat illnesses all over the body, including tumors of the prostate, lung, brain, spine, head and neck, liver, pancreas, kidney, and various gynecologic disorders. It can also be used as an alternative to surgery for some patients who have inoperable or difficult-to-operate tumors.
Statistics show that more than 2.4 million people in Punjab have received free medical care through health cards to date, totaling more than Rs 54 billion. A total of 794 public and private institutions have been appointed to offer free medical services with this card.
According to Dr. Yasmin Rashid, they are working to give the people of Punjab the most amenities possible through this card. To date, more than 55,100 people in Punjab have benefited from free coronary angiography, more than 50,800 women have received free normal delivery and more than 210,000 women have received a free cesarean section.
In Punjab, more than 36,000 people have undergone the free operation of hernia; over 36,100 people have so far received the facility of free chemotherapy while more than 165,000 people have received free eye treatment so far through this card.
