Acknowledging the need to provide health care facilities to all patients, Punjab Medical Education and Research Minister OP Soni today informed that Advanced Cancer Institute, Bathinda is continuously providing health care facilities to the cancer patients despite the institution has been announced as Covid Care Center.Mr. Soni instructed the officials to take extra care for the treatment of cancer patients as they direly need of it. He said that there is no difficulty in getting treatment of cancer in this institution.The Cabinet Minister said that some political parties are making baseless statements contrary to the facts related to the Covid Care Center for their vested interests, while the truth is that Advanced Cancer Institute, Bathinda continues to provide services to cancer patients as earlier. “315 new cancer patients came to the OPD in January 2021, while 432 patients registered in February. However 478 patients came in March and 408 in April 2021, although 30 cancer patients had came between 1st May to 8 May 2021. Likewise 1839 old cancer Patients came to OPD in January 2021, 2213 in February, 2239 in March and 2231 in April 2021, and 402 patients from 1 May 2021 to 8 May 2021”, he added.
Mr. Soni said that similarly in January 2021, 248 cancer Patients were regularly in OPD and 253 in February , 304 in March, 288 in April, and 71 patients from 1 May 2021 to 8 May 2021 were registered for treatment in OPD.He said that at this time the number of Covid patients has increased a lot and there are 6450 active cases of covid-19 in Bathinda district alone as daily positivity rate stands 23.48% of total collected samples. Therefore, the situation demands to further increase the level 2 and level 3 beds for the treatment of corona patients. Despite our efforts we only have to able to arrange 70-75 level-2 beds in newly constructed AIIMS at Bathinda, which will available soon.The Medical Education Minister said that there are two entry gates at Advanced Cancer Institute, Bathinda and this building has been temporarily divided into 2 parts. With this arrangement, there will no adverse impact on the current Cancer Treatment, O.P.D. as 40-50 beds were lying vacant in this center will be used to save the lives of people.Mr. Soni informed that chemotherapy at the Advanced Cancer Institute, Bathinda, O.P.D. Services, radiotherapy treatment and emergency cancer services are being provided and extra care would be ensured care for cancer patients. He said that no laxity would be tolerated in cancer treatment.The cabinet minister said that in order to make sure that the cancer patients will get better treatment at Bathinda AIIMS, he instructed Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid University of health sciences, Dr. Raj Bahadur, and said that such arrangements should be made so that the Patients will not face any difficulty in getting treatment.