Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 21: Division Bench of High Court comprising Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur has issued directions for strict compliance of the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for strengthening facilities for treatment of cancer and speeding up of construction of operation theatres in the upcoming State Cancer Institute.
While disposing of a petition, Division Bench further directed respondents to ensure that every possible step is taken in the process of making available the operation theatres for the Department of Surgical Oncology in the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences for all days of the week.
While giving liberty to the petitioner to approach this court, again, in the event the grievance, as projected by her in this petition, is not redressed, the DB said, “we hope and trust that the authorities concerned do not constrain the petitioner, who is a cancer patient, to knock at the portals of this court again with reference to providing adequate and timely treatment to the cancer patients in Jammu and Kashmir”.
“Ordinarily, all the concerned authorities in the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, including those of the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, being the official functionaries of the Government, are under a statutory and legal duty to ensure that all requisite steps are taken to mitigate the sufferings of cancer patients in the Jammu and Kashmir within the import and purport of the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare”, the DB said, adding “rise in cancer cases is an issue which not only directly concerns the public at large but also requires all possible efforts and steps from the functionaries of the Government so that the same is reduced to the minimal possible position”.
“However, we find it very painful that the petitioner being a cancer patient and having undergone five cancer removal surgeries on various occasions has had to approach this court and state that the Government has failed in providing any proper infrastructure or assistance to the cancer patients as is due to the citizens belonging to a welfare society like the Jammu and Kashmir”, the DB observed.
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