From Afghanistan, with a purpose

Moved by the suffering of cancer patients in his country, a 35-year-old Afghan national is now exploring the scope of setting up a specialised cancer hospital in Kabul.

Abubakar Gharzai, who did his masters in business administration at IIMT Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, was in Hyderabad as part of his bike expedition from New Delhi to Kanyakumari and back to Jammu and Kashmir.

On his fifth visit to India and first to Hyderabad, Mr. Gharzai on Wednesday met Hyderabad Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Kumar, who incidentally served over two years as the counsellor (Security and Commerce) at Embassy of India in Kabul.

During an interaction with The Hindu, Mr. Gharzai spoke at length on how his war-ravaged country lacks basic medical facilities to treat patients. For even cancer diagnosis in Afghanistan, they run from pillar to post as finding a specialised doctor is very difficult, he said.

“People with very little financial sources prefer to go to neighbouring Pakistan. While those who can afford better treatment fly down to India,” he said.

According to him, as many as five flights are operated from Kabul to New Delhi every day that carry a majority of patients suffering from various ailments.

“For more than a decade, India, especially New Delhi, has become a preferred medical destination for Afghanis,” he said, adding that a visit by Indian oncologists for a week in a month to Kabul and other cities in Afghanistan witnesses unprecedented rush of patients for consultation.

“I’m really moved by the plight of my people who are desperate to save their dear ones from the dreaded disease,” he said.

Mr. Gharzai comes from a well-connected political family from Afghanistan. One of his uncles was a former envoy to India and at present serves as Ambassador to Spain, while his another uncle was governor of a province and is ready to fight the elections.

He said finances to set up a specialised cancer hospital would not be a constraint for him. In Hyderabad, Mr. Gharzai would visit leading cancer hospitals to study the model and replicate the same back home.

“After spending around two to three weeks here, I will visit Bengaluru to study biodegradable products, which can be used in medical field,” he said, adding that he has no plans to earn money by setting up the hospital and it would be a non-profitable medical centre.