The Punjab Government would set up total five state-of-the-art Cancer Diagnostic and Treatment Centers in all the three Government Medical Colleges at Amritsar, Patiala and Faridkot, in addition to two centers at Bathinda and Sangrur by spending Rs. 157 crore in the first phase.
A decision to this effect was taken by Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal during a high level meeting with a team of Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre (TMC) Mumbai headed by its Director, Dr. Rajendra A Badwe at Chief Minister’s residence today. Mr. Badal informed the visiting team that the state government would ensure ultra modern infrastructure along with updated equipment for these upcoming centers besides, it had also prepared a plan of Rs. 40 crore to upgrade the existing buildings and construction of additional wards especially in the Government Medical Colleges at Amritsar and Patiala.
The Chief Minister asked Dr. Badwe to provide all technical support for these centers through organizing special training program for the specialist doctors of the State for the treatment of Cancer. He also informed that state government had already created a Punjab State Cancer and Drug Addiction Treatment Infrastructure Dedicated Fund and would soon recruit the doctors and other Para-Medical staff as per the requirement of these centers. Mr. Badal asked TMC Director to depute their team with the officers of the State Health Department for the selection of the appropriate sites for these Centers. Mr. Badal said that their government was committed to provide the best medical care and diagnostic & treatment facilities to the people at their door steps.
Agreeing the proposal of the state government, Mr. Badwe assured the Chief Minister that TMC would provide all types of Technical assistance for setting up of these centers besides providing training to the doctors for the treatment of Cancer in an effective manner to serve the humanity. He further added that TMC would design a certification course for the doctors of Punjab in such a manner that in future each Centre would create its own human resources and capacity-building so that it would no longer be dependent on TMC. He also suggested putting the work done on the website to monitor and study the quality of service being provided to the patients.
Showing concern over the growing incidence of cancer in the state, Mr. Badwe said that TMC was establishing the prestigious Cancer Hospital in Mohali district; he further added that few path breaking steps had been taken in this direction but still lot was to be done. It was also informed in the meeting that both construction work of these centers and recruitment & training of the doctors would go simultaneously and a high powered committee would review the progress after three months.
Prominent amongst those who were present in the meeting included Chief Parliamentary Secretary Medical Education & Research Ms. Mohinder Kaur Josh, Chief Secretary Mr. Rakesh Singh, Chairman Medical Council of India Prof. KK Talwar, Principal Secretary Health & Family Welfare Ms. Vini Mahajan, Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar Director Medical Education & Research Mr. AS Thind, Vice Chancellor Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Dr. SS Gill, Dr. JS Thakur from PGI, Director Health Services Mr. Ashok Nayyar besides the Principals of Government Medical Colleges of Punjab.