Chandigarh: Reiterating his firm commitment to eliminate cancer from the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today said that due to the concerted efforts of the SAD-BJP alliance government, the state would soon emerge as a hub of quality cancer treatment in the country.
Presiding over a meeting with the Director of Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) Dr. RA Badwe and his team, for reviewing the ongoing joint projects to wean away cancer from the state here at his residence, the Chief Minister said that with the starting of all these projects Punjab would become a cancer free state in the country.
He said that the state government was committed for providing fulsome support and cooperation to the TMC for imparting quality treatment of this fatal disease in the state. Mr. Badal also informed the team about the key steps initiated by the state government to provide early diagnostic and treatment facilities to the cancer patients in the state. During the meeting, the Chief Minister apprised the team about the efforts undertaken by state government to upgrade the infra structure for cancer treatment in the Government Medical colleges ofAmritsar, Faridkot andPatiala.
He also asked Dr. Badwe to impart training to the Medical and para-medical staff in these hospitals and colleges at TMC to upgrade their expertise in providing quality treatment to the patients inflicted with cancer. Mr. Badal told the team that the state government was helping the cancer patients to avail the medical benefits under the Mukh Mantri Raahat Kosh adding that soon the state government would provide cashless cancer treatment to the patients under this scheme.
The Chief Minister said that the 100-bedded advance cancer hospital at Bathinda would soon become operational and he sought the support of Dr. Badwe to provide ultra modern machinery to this centre. Likewise, he said that latest cancer diagnostic and treatment centre has been established atGovernmentMedicalCollegein Faridkot, which has been equipped with ultra modern machinery to provide quality cancer treatment. Mr. Badal said that patients from not onlyPunjabbut from Haryana and Rajasthan were also turning up getting the quality treatment in this centre.
On the occasion Mr. Badal also assured Director of TMC that the state government would provide every possible help to them for the upcoming Homi Bhabha Cancer Treatment and Research Centre at Mullanpur. During the meeting Principal Secretary Health Mrs. Vinnie Mahajan also laid thrust on making the people aware about this fatal disease.
Lauding the efforts made by state government for cancer eradication, Dr. Badwe apprised the Chief Minister that TMC was setting up Cancer facility centre at Civil Hospital Sangrur, which would be operational soon. He said that the TMC was also successfully carrying out the work of Population based registry of cancer in the state in which the best report was of Mansa district. Dr. Badwe also apprised the Chief Minister that the TMC would give specialized training to the Doctors of the state through short term courses so as to update their expertise.
Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Chief Secretary Mr. Rakesh Singh, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Principal Secretary Health Mrs. Vinnie Mahajan, Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar and Director Punjab Health System Corporation Mr. Hussan Lal.