By Minahil Makhdoom
ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Tuesday said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was facing serious increase in cancer patients where the risk could be reduced through extensive awareness and education.
She made these remarks while addressing an awareness seminar on “World Cancer Day” at Shifa International Hospital here. Zartaj said during her social work at Shaukat Khanam Memorial Hospital she noticed that every second patient suffering serious cancer complications was hailing from KP province.
“There is need to conduct research and detailed study on this situation as if there is any issue with the soil, water or the air that is causing huge number of masses affected due to cancer in the region,” she added.
The minister mentioned that every fifth women in Pakistan was suffering from breast cancer and was diagnosed at the critical stage which was hard to cure.
The President of Pakistan and the first lady had spearheaded the pink ribbon campaign to make awareness among the masses particularly women on breast cancer which was also joined by the parliamentarians and the media, she added.
She said the ministry of climate change was going to initiate a massive crackdown against Mercury hazardous whitening creams and cosmetics that were ripping off the human skin and causing skin cancer.
Moreover, the action would also be launched against health hazardous mercury amalgam used in dental fillings, she added.
She also exhorted the youth to shun intake tobacco and drugs as 400 deaths per day were recorded in Pakistan due to smoking and drugs use.
“Every 3rd and 4th girl is involved in smoking which is health injurious and against our norms as we are a nation of fine morality, ethics and culture,” the minister added. Zartaj said that tomorrow was Kashmir Solidarity Day which should be marked by every Pakistani to give a strong message to the world that Kashmir was an unfinished agenda of the partition of the sub-continent and UN resolutions.
Inspector General of Islamabad Capital Territory Police Aamir Zulfiqar Khan in his address as the guest of honour said cancer was a serious disease that incurred mental and financial pressure on the affected person and his family.
However, the doctors had the responsibility to treat and handle that patient with great care, adding, the role of family and friends in the process of looking after a cancer patient could not be undermined as it was critical for encouraging a cancer patient to fight this fatal disease, he added.
