Tata cancer cure at doorstep

Patna: An ultra-modern cancer treatment and research centre will come up on 15 acres of Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzaffarpur with Rs 200 crore from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) fund.

The foundation stone of the 100-bed hospital, which would be first-of-its-kind in northern Bihar, will be laid by the end of August, while it is scheduled to be completed in three years.

Health minister Mangal Pandey on Tuesday handed over the land transfer-related papers to officials of the Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Mumbai, which is governed by Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The AEC had submitted the proposal of the project.

“The Bihar government has given the 15-acre land to TMH free of cost for the project,” said Pandey on Tuesday.

The facility will be a boon for the patients seeking cancer treatment as Mumbai’s TMH, a reputable hospital for cancer treatment in the country, will run it. All the facilities available at TMH, Mumbai, will be available at the cancer hospital on the SKMCH campus. Senior surgeons from TMH, Mumbai, will come over to perform surgeries. A good number of patients from Bihar go to TMH, Mumbai, to avail of specialised cancer treatment there.

“The need of having a good hospital for cancer treatment was felt over the years as people here are forced to go to hospitals like TMH, Mumbai and hospitals in other metropolitan cities. We understand the plight of families of cancer patients who take them to other cities for treatment because they have to face many hurdles, including financial and other problems if they go to other places for treatment,” said Pandey.

Asked whether cancer patients from financially weak families would be able to bear the high-treatment cost at the cancer hospital at SKMCH, Pandey said: “Cancer patients can avail funds up to Rs 5 lakh under the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission while they can also manage their treatment cost by applying to Mukhyamantri Chikitsa Sahayta Kosh (Chief Minister’s Medical Relief Fund). TMH Mumbai officials have, on the other hand, assured that they would provide treatment to below poverty line families at subsidised rates,” he said.

Pandey also announced that the State Cancer Institute at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) worth around Rs 138 crore, which would be a specialised cancer treatment hospital, would be ready within the next 15 to 18 months.

Helpdesk will be set up at TMH Mumbai for cancer patients of Bihar.

The Bihar government will create a helpdesk for cancer patients from Bihar at TMH, Mumbai. “Patients’ kin often have to shuttle between Bihar and Mumbai’s TMH when they face problem in availing funds from the Chief Minister’s Medical Relief Fund to avail treatment at the Mumbai hospital. To address this problem, we are creating a helpdesk at TMH, Mumbai,” said Pandey.

Courtesy: The Telegraph