Punjab will soon emerge as a State with ultra modern state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, where people from across the globe would prefer and rely to get themselves treated especially in cancer cure under the supervision of highly qualified doctors, claimed Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday.
Badal, while addressing medical professionals during a function organized by Indian Medical Association (IMA) to inaugurate its newly constructed IMA Auditorium in the premises of upcoming IMA Bhawan, said that for the purpose, SAD-BJP government had initiated a massive health care plan.
“Under this, the entire state healthcare network has been upgraded and revamped in terms of creating new infrastructure and availing modern equipment at various districts, divisional and sub-divisional hospitals and dispensaries in a phased manner at a cost of Rs 350 crore,” he said.
Calling upon the medical fraternity to work in sync with the state government’s plan to deliver best health care facilities to the needy people, he also urged them to spare at least one day every month for social work especially in rural areas for which the state government would provide fulsome support and cooperation to IMA.
“Keeping in view the degree of affliction, the state government has already launched a crusade against cancer and drugs. Cancer and Drug de-addiction Treatment Fund has been created in which Rs 300 crore would be collected every year from various resources and utilized for eradicating these woes completely,” he said.
He said that State Government had strengthen the existing network of de-addiction centers in all the district and sub-divisional hospitals besides initiating a plan to establish five big drug de-addiction centers at Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Faridkot and Bathinda at a cost of Rs 25 crore.