SHC wants cancer authority set up under SIUT, JPMC doctors.

KARACHI -- The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed the provincial authorities to establish a cancer authority under the supervision of doctors of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) and the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) who are dealing with patients of the life-threatening disease.

Justice Salahuddin Panhwar of the SHC in an office note said that as per the compliance reports filed by the district and sessions judges concerned through the member of the SHC's inspection team and the director general for health, there were 176,714 cancer patients reported in the province during the last five years.

The JMPC sought immediate release of Rs600 million special grant from the provincial government for the treatment of such patients.

The judge observed that it was an alarming situation and required immediate response from the government and thus the province must set up a cancer authority under the supervision of doctors of the SIUT and JMPC who were dealing with thousands of cancer patients.

On Oct 9, the two-judge bench headed by Justice Panhwar had expressed serious resentment over the performance of police to curb the menace of gutka and mainpuri and asked Sindh Rangers to take action against the smugglers and manufacturers of such hazardous items and to...