State of art cancer care facility launched at Kathua in J&K

New Delhi, Sept 25: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has launched Jammu and Kashmir’s first ever state-of-of-art satellite care centre of the renowned Mumbai-based Tata Memorial Center(TMC) in the new block of Government Medical College at Kathua. The facility will cater to three territories of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh too, apart from Jammu and Kashmir. .

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said he had taken the step to set up the facility at Kathua as he wanted to bring succour to cancer patients in the region who were facing immense problem in taking treatment at the main Tata Memorial Center. He said he felt pained to receive calls every morning from different parts of the region from desperate family members pleading to arrange admission of Cancer patients at Tata Hospital Mumbai or arrange accommodation for the attendants. He then decided to start a satellite centre at Kathua and thus moved the papers in the Department of Atomic Energy which is the controlling authority of Tata Memorial Center Mumbai.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, with increasing lifespan, changing lifestyles, environmental factors etc, the prevalence of cancer is assuming epidemic proportions and cancers of all nature and all organs are happening everywhere. A Tata satellite Cancer care facility in Kathua will therefore prove to be a great boon for the region, he said.

He noted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, satellite hospitals and facilities of Tata Memorial Centre have been started in different parts of the country and in Guwahati, even Onco DM and Mch super specialty courses have been started and said this option could be later considered for Kathua as well.

Kathua-Udhampur-Doda’ ParliamentaryConstituency could, he pointed out, be the future ‘Health Circuit’ of India with state-of-the-art healthcare facilities like three medical colleges, north India’s first biotech park etc. With the establishment of the new facility – a day-care chemotherapy (onco-care) unit, the missing link has been completed for affordable and accessible cancer treatment in the area. He also inaugurated a 300 LPM Oxygen Plant and Maternal ICU at GMC Kathua.

Dr. Jitendra Singh noted that India has taken a lead in the production of vaccines for the prevention of malignancies like ‘CERVAVAC’ and the biotechnology sector in India is growing by leaps and bounds. India is set to achieve a $150 billion bio-economy by 2025, from about $100 billion in 2022.

He pointed out that affordable, accessible healthcare is the roadmap for ‘Healthy India’ under PM Narendra Modi. This is evident from the fact that more than 260 new medical colleges have been established in the country with 79% increase in MBBS seats, 93 % increase in PG seats in 9 year and approval for 22 AIIMS.

India has moved from sectoral and segmented approach of health service delivery to a comprehensive need-based health care service and is now seen as a role model in crisis management and preventive healthcare, he added.

He thanked PM Narendra Modi for bringing ‘Preventive Health Care’ into focus in the country for the first time which has meant that in just a span of two years, India could produce two DNA vaccines and one nasal vaccine.

Secretary Health and Medical Education, J&K, Sh. Bhupinder Kumar in his address said, the establishment of Day-care Chemotherapy Onco-care Unit at GMC Kathua will make cancer treatment in the area accessible and affordable.

DDC Vice-chairman, Kathua, Sh. Raghunandan Singh Bablu, DC Kathua, Sh. Rakesh Minhas, K K Parashar of Paytm Foundation, Neraj Goud of Maha Manav Malviya Mission, Sunil Kumar Gupta, GM J&K Bank, CGM NABARD, Bala Modi Sridhar, Principal GMC Kathua, Medical Superintendent GMC Kathua were present during the occasion.