Cancer cases in Pakistan are on the increase, but patients and health advocates are caught in a struggle for access to life-saving treatment amid concerns about the quality of generic drugs and the rising cost of medicine.

Tahmeena Kausar Parveen, a 45-year-old resident of Islamabad, was shocked by the news that she needs to see an oncologist about a lump in her breast after a screening at the Breast Cancer Hospital at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.

Although she knows that early diagnosis makes this disease treatable, she has many anxieties. She is wrestling with the challenges of finding a reliable oncologist, covering the cost of treatment, and accessing quality medicines.

“I have the courage to fight this disease, but I fear that the difficult journey to get treatment may wear me down,” said Parveen.