OncoUpdate

Cancer Wing to Open in Malwa, Punjab

Malwa region of Punjab, also known as the 'cancer belt,' has finally received a grant of three crore from the Government of India to set up an oncology department in the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital (GGSMCH), under the National Cancer Care Programme (NCCP). This grant means cheaper cancer treatment for the poor. Earlier there was no Government hospital in the region for the treatment of cancer and so this amount would help the Hospital to set-up a radiotherapy unit for the treatment of patients at a controlled cost. Experts believe that cancer patients in the cotton-growing Malwa belt, consisting of Barnala, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Muktsar, Mansa, Moga, Faridkot and Sangrur districts, would highly benefit from this facility. Currently patients have to go out of the State to receive treatment, as a majority of them cannot afford going to private hospitals due to the expensive treatment. In the first phase, the management would construct a new building to house radioactive equipment and once the final approval is granted from all the departments concerned, the Hospital would start functioning. Secretary, Medical Education and Research, Jagjit Puri confirmed that the grant has been received and stated that the State government had also released its share.

EH News Bureau