Powering his government’s fight against cancer, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday set August 15 as the deadline for laying the foundation stone of the Tertiary Cancer Care Centre at Hoshiarpur.The state government has already made a budgetary allocation of Rs. 45 Crores for this hi-tech Cancer treatment facility.Captain Amarinder Singh also okayed various infrastructure and upgradation works worth Rs. 174.48 Crores in Homi Babha Cancer Hospital Sangrur (HBCH) and Advanced Cancer Diagnostic and Treatment Research Centre at Bathinda.Chairing a review meeting of the State Cancer and Drug Addiction Infrastructure Board (CADA), Captain Amarinder Singh directed the Finance Department to ensure the immediate release of requisite funds. He asked the Finance Department to ensure regular flow of funds to accomplish these projects within a stipulated timeframe.The Chief Minister directed the Principal Secretary Health to regularly monitor the progress of other ongoing projects for their timely completion.
The CADA Funds should be exclusively utilised to provide the best health care facilities to the patients suffering from cancer, said the Chief Minister, warning against diversion of these funds in any way.The Chief Minister also reviewed the status of the upcoming State Cancer Institute Amritsar and Tertiary State Cancer Centre, Fazilka, being constructed at a total cost of Rs. 13.20 Crores.During the meeting, Captain Amarinder gave ex-post facto approval to the tune of Rs. 69.51 Crores for the execution of various infrastructural upgradation works at Homi Babha Cancer Hospital Sangrur (HBCH), for the benefit of Cancer patients in the Malwa belt. He also gave the nod for procurement of equipment and meeting operational expenses to the tune of Rs. 104.96 Crores for Advanced Cancer Diagnostic and Treatment Research Centre at Bathinda.Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, Media Advisor to CM Raveen Thukral, Chief Principal Secretary to CM Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary Health Anurag Aggarwal, Principal Secretary to CM Tejveer Singh, Principal Secretary Finance Anirudh Tewari, and Principal Secretary Medical Education & Research D K Tiwari also attended the meeting.