In a bid to ensure the best health care services to the people at the grass root level, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal today announced that the state government would spend Rs 3443 crore on the upgradation of health infrastructure including renovation of dilapidated buildings of government hospitals and dispensaries besides installing the latest medical equipments in them.
This announcement was made by the Chief Minister during his address while inaugurating one day cancer awareness cum medical checkup camp organized by the Roko Cancer Charitable Trust London here at community centre in Phase seven. Mr Badal appreciated this noble initiative taken by the trust which would go a long way in educating the people about timely cure and precautions to combat this deadly disease. He said that the trust had been playing a pivotal role in saving millions of people from the clutches of this fatal disease by organizing such camps in every nook and corner of the world.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that the state government had already taken major initiatives to stamp out this disease from Punjab and positive results were forthcoming due to people’s whole hearted co-operation and involvement in this campaign. Mr Badal revealed that the second largest cancer hospital would soon start functioning at Mullanpur near Chandigarh on which Rs 450 crore would be spent to provide the latest treatment and diagnostic services to the patients inflicted with the cancer adding that the state government had already given 50 acres land to the TATA Cancer Research Centre, Mumbai. He further said that the state government would spent Rs 500 crore every year for organizing medical camps to eradicate cancer from the state.
The Chief Minister stated that five innovative centres to provide the state of the art treatment and diagnostic facilities to the cancer patients were being set up in the government medical colleges in Amritsar, Patiala and Faridkot besides opening another two such centres at Sangrur and Bathinda. Mr Badal said that the state government would now make direct payment to the cancer patients out of the Chief Minister’s cancer relief fund instead of giving it to the concerned hospitals.
Speaking on the occasion former Union Minister Mr Balwant Singh Ramoowalia said that Roko Cancer trust had been extending yeomen service to the humanity and organizing this camp at Mohali would prove to be milestone in sensitizing the people about the early detection and probable care of it. He hoped that trust would organize more such camps across the state especially in Malwa, border and Kandi belt.
In his address the world roaming ambassador of the trust Mr Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal said that the trust had so far organized such camps in 22 countries across the globe and 19 states of India where nearly three lakh cancer patients had been treated. He also announced that the trust would organize at least 500 such camps every year in Punjab to educate the people about the ill effects of Cancer and its timely treatment. Mr Dhaliwal also lauded the efforts of Punjab government under the stewardship of Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal to make the campaign of cancer eradication as a mass movement.
A team of expert doctors and oncologists from Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and New Delhi diagnosed the cancer patients and conducted mammography besides giving medicines free of cost.
Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Sh. Harbhajan Mann Chairman District Planning Committee SAS Nagar, S.Ujagar SinghBadali former MLA, Bibi Amanjot Kaur Ramoowalia and other senior leaders.