Expressing concern over 68 per cent of cancer patients dying in the country, a Parliamentary Committee has strongly urged the Government to expand and upgrade cancer treatment infrastructure for affordable and quality care by enlarging the network of Mumbai based Tata Memorial Centre.
The Department-related Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change submitted its Report on “An expanded role for the Department of Atomic Energy in Cancer Treatment in India through an Enlarged Network of the Tata Memorial Centre. Chairman of the Committee, Jairam Ramesh along with other Members presented the report to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu. Naidu complimented the committee for being the first to submit a report after re-constitution of DRSCs in September this year and also for examining and reporting on an important health-care issue.
The panel recommended setting up of a High Level Steering Committee headed by the Minister of State for Atomic Energy, the Chief Secretaries/Administrators of all the States and UT’s and Director of TMC as Members to work out modalities for rolling out of Hub and Spoke Model in a time bound manner to not only contain patient migration but also to ensure state-of-the-heart facilities as close as possible for cancer patients.
The Committee noted with concern the very high incidence of cancer in all North- Eastern States and recommended that Dr. B. Barooah Cancer Institute at Guwahati should be upgraded as a common Hub for the region.