Govt, Roche agree on free cancer medicines

January 09, 2026 (MLN): Free cancer medicines worth up to Rs10 million per patient will be provided to eligible patients from Islamabad, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The provision will be made under a five-year agreement between the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and Roche Pakistan

The agreement marks one of the largest public-private collaborations in oncology treatment in the country.

Under the agreement, medicines for breast, lung and liver cancer will be supplied to patients receiving treatment at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, with the programme set to begin immediately and expand based on outcomes, according to the press release.

The initiative targets thousands of patients from federally administered and underserved regions, where access to advanced cancer therapies remains limited due to high costs.

The cost of treatment for a single cancer patient can reach Rs9.8m, according to health ministry estimates. Under the agreed framework, Roche Pakistan will bear approximately Rs9m per patient, while the Government of Pakistan will contribute around Rs1m.

Overall, 70% of the treatment cost will be covered by Roche, with the remaining 30% funded by the government.

The agreement was formalised at the Ministry of National Health Services in Islamabad, with Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal, senior health officials and representatives of Roche Pakistan in attendance.

The arrangement aims to reduce the affordability gap in cancer treatment and improve access to life-saving medicines for patients who would otherwise be unable to bear the financial burden.

The programme is initially limited to PIMS but may be extended to other regions and healthcare facilities if the model proves effective.

Cancer treatment costs remain a major challenge in Pakistan, particularly for advanced therapies used in solid tumours such as breast, lung and liver cancers.

The initiative is expected to ease pressure on public hospitals while setting a precedent for future public-private healthcare financing models.

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