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Cancer is an
ever-increasing health care problem in developing countries. According
to the current trends, the cancer burden in developing countries
is expected to be 10 million by 2015. More than 50% of over nine
million cases diagnosed world-wide occur in the developing countries
alone.
These facts formed the backdrop
of a ground breaking ceremony for a new cancer care facility at Aga Khan University
Hospital (AKUH) on December 13, 2003. President of AKU, Shamsh Kassim-Lakha,
speaking on the occasion expressed his gratitude to all the corporate donors
and the AKU Resources Development Committee for their generous contribution
and support towards the Oncology Services Building at AKUH. This facility will
be a comprehensive cancer centre offering state-of-the-art screening, diagnostic
and treatment services. Only a week ago on December 6, 2003 the foundation stone
for the Oncology Services Building was laid by the Chancellor of the University,
His Highness the Aga Khan, who described it as a date "on which this University
can say we are a national university in Pakistan because the full spectrum or
nearly the full spectrum of this wonderful country have come forward and have
said 'we wish to support this institution'".
At the ground-breaking ceremony,
President Kassim-Lakha quoted the words of His Highness the Aga Khan: "As time
will move us forward it will be important that the Trustees and I should look
back on this date with gratitude, humility but also pride - pride in an Institution
which has earned itself through the people who have worked with it, the credibility
that needed to have become a recognised national institution in Pakistan." On
this occasion, President Kassim-Lakha announced that the Oncology Services Building
will begin its operations in November 2005.
Highlighting the significance
of this cancer centre to Pakistan, Dr. Farhat Abbas, Medical Director and Associate
Dean Clinical Affairs, and Chair of the Oncology Services Building Task Force,
said that an estimated 5-10% of Pakistani population could be affected with
cancer in their lifetime. "The problem we face is that most of these cancers
are advanced in nature, due to lack of implementation of proper early detection
methods across the country, and thus most cases are not amenable to curative
therapy," he explained. He added that since there has been a remarkable progress
in the early detection and effective management of cancers, as well as in the
prevention of cancer because of enormous research efforts dedicated to this
area, there lies a tremendous opportunity to offer state-of-the-art management
of diagnosed cancer cases and to engage in cancer research and education.
As member of the Board of
Trustees of AKU and Chair of the Resource Development Committee (Corporate),
Munnawar Hamid stated that the credibility of people is important, "but more
important is the credibility of the institution, which in turn helps us raise
funds towards such causes." He added that he was privileged to be a part of
this campaign.
At the end, President Kassim-Lakha,
Munnawar Hamid, Ghous Akbar and Waseem Mirza pressed down the levers of two
drilling rigs to initiate the process of piling and boring.
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