ISLAMABAD
\nA Signing Ceremony for a Letter of Intent (LOI) between the Ministry of NHSR&C and Roche Pakistan, focusing on cancer treatment in Federally Administered Areas, took place at the committee room of Ministry of NHSR&C.
\nAttendees included Director General Health, Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Kazi, Secretary Health, Mr. Iftikhar Ali Shallwani, Roche\u2019s Area Head, Mr. Adriano Treve, MD Roche, Ms. Hafsa Shamsie, and Swiss Ambassador Mr. Georg Steiner.
\nSecretary Health, Mr. Iftikhar Ali Shallwani, emphasized the crucial role of public-private partnerships in healthcare, recognizing the complexities of cancer, such as affordability, awareness, stigma, and sustainable treatment options.
\nMr. Shallwani expressed gratitude for entities like Roche, acknowledging their role as private healthcare innovators that complement public institutions, and he underscored the critical importance of Roche\u2019s funding proposal for ensuring financial sustainability and comprehensive treatment for deserving cancer patients.
\nDG Health, Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Kazi, highlighted the increasing cancer incidence in the country, placing a significant burden on individuals, families, and the healthcare system. He emphasized the government\u2019s challenge to provide adequate, affordable, and accessible cancer care. Affordability, he noted, remained a major hurdle for Pakistan, and poor awareness of symptoms and treatments, along with risk factors and limited early detection, had led to a concerning rise in cancer cases and mortality.
\nMany individuals, he explained, were diagnosed at advanced stages, making treatment more challenging and reducing survival rates. Swiss Ambassador Mr. Georg Steiner emphasized Switzerland\u2019s significance as a trading partner with Swiss giants like Roche operating in Pakistan and praised the breakthrough cancer treatment initiative for its collaborative and knowledge-sharing efforts.
\nMr. Adriano Treve, Area Head of Roche for a vast region including Turkey, Russia, Iran, Central Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent, highlighted Roche\u2019s dedication to Lower & Lower Middle-Income Countries, citing global challenges with 41 million premature deaths from non-communicable diseases.
\nHe commended Pakistan\u2019s collaboration with Roche and noted Roche\u2019s commitment to doubling innovative therapy access in low and lower-middle-income countries by 2026. Hafsa Shamsie, Roche MD, highlighted Roche\u2019s presence in Pakistan for over four decades, delivering standard of care treatment for various diseases, including cancer.
\nPatients remained at the core of Roche\u2019s commitment, and in Pakistan, the company had served thousands through innovative medicines. She expressed gratitude to the government for its support and progressive vision in collaborating for cancer treatment. Overall, the signing ceremony represented a historic milestone in enhancing public-private partnerships overall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD A Signing Ceremony for a Letter of Intent (LOI) between the Ministry of NHSR&C and Roche Pakistan, focusing on cancer treatment in Federally Administered Areas, took place at the committee room of Ministry of NHSR&C. Attendees included Director General Health, Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Kazi, Secretary Health, Mr. Iftikhar Ali Shallwani, Roche\u2019s Area Head, Mr. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-373750","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n