Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak on Friday said the State Government is planning to centrally procure chemotherapy medicines in order to provide free-of-cost treatment to the poor cancer patients of the State.
“We are also in the process of signing of MoU with leading a pharmaceutical company to manufacture chemotherapy drugs and to provide the State at 60 to 70 per cent concession,” Nayak said at a function held here by the IMA to mark the National Cancer Awareness Day.
He said onco surgery, medical oncology, radio- oncology, genetic oncology have advanced lot nowadays to cure many cancers.
“Cancer diseases are curable when they are treated early,” he said.
The State Government has been developing cancer diagnosis facility at District Headquarters Hospitals under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, CVD and Stroke (NPCDCS), he informed.
“All District Hospitals will be providing cancer diagnosis facility soon under the programme. Screening programme for early detection of cancer particularly cervical, breast and oral cavity will be started at every CHC/PHCs by providing training to all doctors and paramedical and arranging logistics,” Nayak said.
The Minister further said the State has developed proposal to increase beds of the AHRCC, Cuttack to 500.
“It will be an excellent State Cancer Institute (SCI) very soon where all modern technology of Cancer diagnosis and management will be introduced,” he said.
These apart, Nayak said the State Government has initiated a process to submit proposals to the Centre seeking 50 cancer beds at the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.