Thousands of blood cancer patients in Punjab have been without free cancer medicines for more than three months under the provincial Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) programme, which treats a form of blood cancer with long-term drug therapy.
Around 5,000 patients are registered. They are meant to collect four types of free cancer medicines each month from five government hospitals: Mayo Hospital and Jinnah Hospital in Lahore, Nishtar Hospital in Multan, Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi, and Allied Hospital in Faisalabad. That monthly supply has reportedly remained suspended because of delays in the government’s procurement and bidding process.
Patients pushed toward costly private drugs
With hospital stocks unavailable, many patients have had to buy the same medicines from private pharmacies. Those outlets are also reportedly short of the drugs, making access harder and more expensive. Medical experts have warned that long breaks in treatment can pose serious health risks, especially for people who cannot afford to pay out of pocket.
One of the affected medicines is Nilotinib, a targeted therapy used for some CML patients. It usually needs continuous use under specialist care, so months without free supply matter for those who depend on the programme.
Why the shortage started
Punjab Health Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique has acknowledged the shortage and said the government is working to restore supplies. He said that about a year ago, leading cancer specialists (oncologists) advised expanding the list of cancer medicines covered by the programme from four to 27.
After that advice, the health department began a centralised procurement process for many drugs, while some medicines were already held in government stocks. Officials link the current gap to how that larger buying process has moved, rather than to a sudden change in patient numbers.
Temporary fix while central buying continues
To ease the immediate shortfall, provincial health authorities have authorised the five designated hospitals to buy medicines locally under a Local Purchase (LP) arrangement—hospital-level buying when central stocks are not ready. The step is meant to keep drugs available while the wider tender process continues.
Rafique said he hoped the shortage would end soon and that patients would again receive free medicines at the designated hospitals.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- About a year ago — Leading oncologists advised expanding CML programme medicines from four to 27.
- Following that advice — The health department started centralised procurement for multiple cancer drugs; some stocks were already in government stores.
- For more than three months — Monthly free supplies to registered patients have remained suspended amid procurement and bidding delays.
- Recent government response — The health minister acknowledged the shortage; the five hospitals were authorised to buy medicines through local purchase while central buying continues.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab mein CML (khoon ke cancer) ke hazaron mareez teen mahine se muft dawaiyan nahi le pa rahe. Taqreeban 5,000 mareez is sarkari program mein register hain aur pehle har mahine hospital se dawai milti thi. Ab unhein mehengi dawaiyan bazaar se kharidni pad rahi hain, jo har kisi ke bas ki baat nahi. Sarkar ne hospitals ko local kharid ki ijazat di hai taake dawaiyan jaldi milne lagen.
