‘Facility to prove boon for region’
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Sept 24: Maintaining that Tata Satellite Cancer care facility can prove to be a great boon for the region, Union Minister in PMO with independent charge of Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that the facility will cater to three territories of J&K, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of launching the Jammu and Kashmir’s first ever state-of-art Tata Memorial Center (TMC) Mumbai affiliated Cancer Care Unit in the new block of Government Medical College Kathua, the Minister said, the establishment of this state of the art center is the outcome of keenness of PM Modi for providing affordable and accessible healthcare facilities to the people all over the country. Click here to watch video
He also launched the new Maternal ICU at GMC Kathua on the occasion.
Dr Jitendra Singh said he felt pained to receive calls every morning from different parts of the region from desperate family members pleading to arrange admission of Cancer patients at Tata Hospital Mumbai or arrange accommodation for the attendants.
He then decided to start the Tata affiliated facility at Kathua and thus moved the papers in the Department of Atomic Energy which is the controlling authority of Tata Memorial Center Mumbai.
The Union Minister said with the establishment of the Cancer Center at a centrally located place Kathua, the patients from J&K, HP and Punjab can get affordable treatment besides their time and energy will be saved.
Dr Singh said, with increasing lifespan, changing lifestyles, environmental factors etc, the prevalence of cancer is assuming epidemic proportions and cancers of all nature and all organs are happening everywhere.
A Tata Satellite Cancer care facility in Kathua will therefore prove to be a great boon for the region, he said.
Under Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, satellite hospitals and facilities of Tata Memorial Center have been started in different parts of the country and in Guwahati, even Onco DM and MCH super speciality courses have been started which option could be later contemplated for Kathua as well.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, Udhampur-Kathua-Doda Parliamentary Constituency could be the future ‘Health Circuit’ of the region with state-of-the-art healthcare facilities like three Centrally funded Medical Colleges, North India’s First Biotech Park Kathua, Centrally funded Ayurvedic College Kishtwar, National Institute of High Altitude Medicine Bhaderwah, upcoming Homeopathy College at Kathua, etc.
And, with the establishment of the Day-care Chemotherapy (Onco-care) Unit at GMC Kathua today, cancer treatment is going to become accessible and affordable as the missing link has been completed today for affordable and accessible cancer treatment in the area.
Addressing the gathering after inaugurating the much needed Day-care Cancer Chemotherapy Unit, Dr Jitendra Singh said, onco-care will be upgraded in GMC Kathua in coming years as Onco DM and MCH seats will be provided to it and world class cancer specialists will be invited here for treatment, lectures and seminars.
He said technicians have been imparted training in this regard.
The Minister also inaugurated a Maternal ICU and voluntarily funded 300 LPM Oxygen Plant at GMC Kathua. He said during COVID pandemic, he has found the need of establishing the Oxygen plant in the Hospital to cater to any emergency in future.
On the treatment of various types of cancers, Dr Jitendra Singh said, India has taken a lead in the production of vaccines for the prevention of malignancies like ‘CERVAVAC’ as the Biotechnology sector in India is growing by leaps and bounds as India is set to achieve $150 billion Bio-Economy by 2025, which stood at over $100 billion in 2022.
During the inauguration, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, affordable, accessible healthcare is the roadmap for ‘Healthy India’ under PM Narendra Modi which is evident from the fact that more than 260 new Medical Colleges have been established in the country with 79 percent increase in MBBS seats, 93 percent increase in PG seats in 9 years,22 AIIMS have been approved etc.
Dr. Singh said India has moved from sectoral and segmented approach of health service delivery to a comprehensive need-based health care service and is now seen as a role model in crisis management and preventive healthcare.
Dr. Jitendra Singh complimented PM Narendra Modi for bringing ‘Preventive Health Care’ into focus in the country for the first time which is the reason that in just a span of two years, India could produce two DNA vaccines and one nasal vaccine.
Dr Jitendra Singh also complimented the UT Government for providing space for the establishment of the Cancer Center at Kathua.
Secretary Health and Medical Education, J&K, Bhupinder Kumar in his address said, the establishment of Day-care Chemotherapy Onco-care Unit at GMC Kathua will make cancer treatment in the area accessible and affordable.
DDC Vice Chairman Kathua, Raghunandan Singh Bablu, D C Kathua, Rakesh Minhas, K K Parashar of Paytem Foundation, Neeraj Goud of Maha Manav Malviya Mission and others were present.
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