Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today avowed to make Punjab as one of the best state in the country having superb infra structure and human resources to combat the deadly menace of cancer on one hand and provide the world class treatment to the persons inflicted with cancer at cost effective and inexpensive charges.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Workshop of Cancer registration and Cancer control organized by Tata Memorial Centre Mumbai in collaboration with PGI under the auspices of Punjab government here today at Bhargava Auditorium in PGIMER, the Chief Minister emphasized the need to launch a massive publicity campaign to create awareness amongst the people especially living in remote rural areas across the state about the causes and remedies of Cancer in layman's language without creating any sort of panic.
Underscores the need to launch a vigorous state-wide awareness campaign to sensitize people about early detection of this fatal disease
Describes cancer registries as 'Eyes and Ears' of cancer control program
Cancer hospital at Mullanpur to become operational within two and half years- Dr Badwe
Endorsing the views expressed by Director TMC Dr RA Badwe about the probable causes like lack of exercise and physical activity, obesity, less intake of fruits and vegetables besides tendency to take alcohol and chew tobacco, he said these must be widely publicized amongst the masses in their local idiom so that they should not fell prey to the trap of Cancer. Firm believer of 'prevention is always better than cure' Mr. Badal said this adage must be put into practice by making people apprised of the ill effects of cancer and at the same time sensitizing them about the necessity of early detection, which could otherwise become a cause of death due to ignorance.
The Chief Minister shared how he lost his father and wife due to cancer and narrated his own traumatic experience of Cancer and having get it cured in US about two decades back by seeking doctor's timely intervention at its initial stage. Therefore, he reiterated that early detection of Cancer was of paramount importance to give a new lease of life to the cancer patients and advised the medical fraternity to primarily concentrate on this aspect so that the incidence of cancer could be minimized. Mr. Badal said, "We the Indians are fortunate of having less incidence of cancer as compared to developed countries like US and UK and still there is lot of scope to eliminate it completely to make India- a Cancer free nation".
Highlighting the role of Cancer registries in the control and research of this fatal disease, the Chief Minister said that Population based cancer Registration (PBCR) already started in Chandigarh, Mohali, Mansa, and Sangrur, in collaboration with TMC and PGIMER, have put forth useful data in identifying different types of cancer amongst males and females in urban and rural areas. He said that these registries were the eyes and ears of the cancer control and research programs to help the state for intensifying its effort to take on this disease far more effectively.
Likewise the Chief Minister said that a 100 bedded advanced Cancer Centre at Bathinda would be soon made functional and Government Medical Colleges at Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot have been upgraded to provide state of the art diagnostic and treatment facilities to the cancer patients. Efforts were afoot to provide Cancer drugs to the patients at cheaper rates and so far 133 drugs were being made available to them at subsidised rates. To combat the Cancer efficaciously, the state government was regularly sending the teams of Doctors and Surgeons from Punjab to abroad and TMC for specialised training in oncology and radio diagnosis to upgrade their professional skills.
Speaking on the occasion Director TMC Dr RA Badwe said that he was highly impressed by the out of box initiatives taken by the state government to control cancer in the state. He said that TMC would soon initiate the civil works at its upcoming Cancer hospital at Mullanpur and would make it operational along with another being established at Vizag in Andhra Pradesh. Highlighting the role of Cancer registries Dr Badwe said that these helped any state or organisation to tackle Cancer effectively and in a result oriented manner apart from utilising funds judiciously to treat the special type of cancer in particular area with a focused approach, which otherwise was like groping in dark and indulging in wasteful expenditure.