Cancer drugs arrive at hospital

By OGIA MIAMEL
CANCER drugs have finally arrived at the Port Moresby General Hospital and patients will start receiving treatment this week, head of cancer and oncology services Dr Peter Olali says.
He told The National yesterday that the drugs arrived last week – to the relief of staff and patients.
“The drugs arrived on October 4 in our main store and to the pharmacy dispensary – the cancer drugs we needed,” he said.
He said the only drug missing was the fluorouracil – one of the three drugs which went together in cycle to treat breast cancer, neck and throat cancer.
“We hope to receive it soon. But for now, patients are still buying it,” he said.
“We will start giving treatment this week with the drugs that arrived. We are asking them to buy the one that we didn’t receive.
“We also advice patients to stop paying for drugs at the pharmacy because the drugs are here. We will start treatment. The patients are thankful and we are also grateful to the Department of Health for providing us with the cancer drugs to treat patients who have waited since April.”
He said pharmacies had increased the prices of cancer drugs because of the recent shortage.
He urged authorities to look into the matter so that pharmacies and private clinics should not take advantage of any drug-shortage situation.