Health Minister conducts Bhoomi Pujan at AIIMS National Cancer Institute at Jhajjar

Bengaluru, December 13, 2015:After conducting bhoomi pujan at the AIIMS National Cancer Institute to be constructed over the 300 acre expanse at Badsha Village, Jhajjar, Haryana, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda termed this as independent India’s largest Government Funded Hospital Project. Also present at the function were Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana, Shri Om Prakash Dhankhar, Shri B P Sharma, Secretary (HFW) and senior officers of the Health Ministry and the state government of Haryana.

Speaking at the function, the Health Minister stated that the project is planned to be completed within 3 years. The Institute will have 710 beds out of which 200 beds will be dedicated for Translational Research in India specific cancers. There shall be 372 units of flats and 1080 hostel rooms for the staff members. For the patient attendants, a night shelter having a capacity of 800 units is also being planned, the Minister stated.

Shri Nadda said that the Cancer Institute will be modelled after the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of USA and the Government of India has already entered into a MoU with NCI USA during the visit of Prime Minister to USA in October 2014. He further said that the Institute will be the premier Institution for all activities related to cancer in the country and will have the linkages with all Regional Cancer Centres and other cancer centres/Institutions within the country. To increase the tertiary care facilities in Cancer, the Government is implementing a scheme to support the establishment of 20 State Cancer Institutes (SCIs) and 50 Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCCs) in different parts of the country, the Minister said. These will mentor all cancer related activities in their respective areas. The National Cancer Centre will act as an apex body for the network of the SCIs and TCCCs and shall develop and mentor Cancer related activities.

Shri Nadda further stated that in order to provide relief to poor people from the rising cost of cancer drugs, AMRIT scheme (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) has been recently launched, with the first outlet operational in AIIMS-New Delhi. Medicines for treatment of cancer are being made available at discounts in the range of 9% to 90%. “We are soon going to start AMRIT in all central government hospitals”, Shri Nadda informed.

Highlighting the many benefits of the NCI, Shri B P Sharma, Secretary (HFW) stated that it shall undertake the much-needed research in different types of cancer, and people from the nearby states can benefit immensely through this Institute. This also reflects the commitment of the Government to addressing the growing concerns of Non-Communicable Diseases, he said.

Corporate Comm India(CCI Newswire)