Centre to Start Day Care Cancer Centres in All District Hospitals: Purandeswari

Vijayawada: AP BJP president and MP Daggubati Purandeswari said that India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is turning into Arogya Bharat (Healthy India) due to progressive health initiatives taken by the union government.

Virtually laying the foundation stone for the Citizen Force Cancer Hospital and Research Institute at Mullapudi in Krishna district on Sunday, Purandeswari highlighted the revolutionary advancements being made in cancer treatment. She lauded Citizen Force, a voluntary organisation, for stepping forward to provide cancer treatment, particularly to the underprivileged.

The MP expressed hope that Citizen Force would become a guiding light in delivering cancer care to the poor. She underlined the importance of a service-oriented approach to the healthcare sector. She praised the efforts of P. Ramesh Babu and T. Arjuna Rao in establishing the Citizen Force Cancer Institute with a noble service vision, reinforcing India’s deep-rooted tradition of viewing doctors as divine healers.

Purandeswari announced that the central government is planning to establish day care cancer centres in all district hospitals within the next three years, targeting 200 centres by the end of the current financial year. She pointed out that the centre has given high priority to cancer care, allocating ₹99,858.56 crore to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and ₹3,900.69 crore to the Department of Health Research in the Union Budget.

The MP pointed out that to make cancer and other rare or chronic disease treatments more affordable, the government has exempted several essential drugs from basic customs duty.

Those present on the occasion included Information minister Kolusu Parthasarathy, MLAs Gadde Rammohan Rao and Varla Kumar Raja, BJP AP media in-charge Paturi Nagabhushanam, TD leader Boppana Bhavakumar and corporators Ch. Krantisri and Devineni Aparna.