Govt cancer care centre to come up at Ambala Cantt

The first Government ‘Cancer Care Centre’ to be set up at Civil Hospital in Ambala Cantonment would benefit around 50 lakh people of the nearby areas, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said on Tuesday. Vij, while laying the foundation stone of the Centre at Ambala Cantt said this will be built at cost of Rs 56 crore.

The construction agency has been directed to complete the work by February 2019. The four storey building would be constructed by the HLL Enterprise of Union Health Ministry and the agency had started the construction work from today onwards. The Centre would have all the facilities for cancer patients, including radiography and surgery etc, the Minister said.

He said the number of cancer patients is rising alarmingly day-by-day. There are 25 lakh people cancer patients in our country and every year about seven lakh more are diagnosed with cancer.

In India, about 5.56 lakh people die due to cancer every year. The cancer treatment being very costly in the private sector, the common man can not usually afford the treatment, he said.

The Civil hospital in Ambala is equipped with all the facilities, including Cath lab, dialysis, ultra sound etc. Cath labs would be provided in all the districts of the state after the completion of one year study on this lab. About 1,000 heart patients have been treated and provided stent in this hospital so far, the Minister added.

Vij added about 75 lakh people of 15 lakh families of the State will get free treatment facility of up to Rs 5 lakh in major hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.