Bihar Health Minister Announces Cancer Care and Research Society Registration Amid Statewide Screening Programs
An important meeting was organized in the auditorium of the Health Department under the chairmanship of Health Minister Mr. Mangal Pandey on the positive and important aspects of cancer care in the state under the joint aegis of Bihar Government and Homi Bhabha Cancer Institute, Muzaffarpur. Mr. Pandey informed that cancer screening program is being run in all 38 districts of the state, day-care chemotherapy program in 17 districts, palliative care program in 23 districts, free cancer medicines are being distributed continuously and uninterruptedly in district hospitals.
Mr. Pandey said that free HPV vaccination is being given to girls aged 09 to 14 years to prevent cervical cancer. A 100-bed palliative care hospital is being established in the state. In view of these positive efforts, the Health Department is going to register Cancer Care and Research Society keeping in mind cancer prevention and control. Which will mainly work in six areas. These include prevention and early detection of cancer, cancer screening, cancer treatment (chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy), palliative care services, research and educational activities and cancer infrastructure.
Mr. Pandey informed that the office of Bihar Cancer Care and Research Society will be located in Swasthya Bhawan, Sheikhpura, Patna. Mr. Pandey called for a qualitative increase in the tobacco control program for the World No Tobacco Day to be held on 31st May so that the level of mouth and throat cancer in Bihar can be reduced even further. He informed that Bihar Cancer Care and Research Society will also play an active role in the tobacco control program. Cancer hospitals will be established in Begusarai and Nawada districts to provide better facilities to cancer patients in the state. In the next 3-5 years, cancer treatment facilities will be strengthened extensively in a total of 9 divisions of Bihar for better treatment of cancer. Due to which in the coming days, the patients of Bihar will not need to go out of Bihar for treatment, which will lead to qualitative and positive growth in the health sector of Bihar.
Present in the said meeting were Shri Pratyay Amrit, Additional Chief Secretary, Health Department; Shri Manoj Kumar Singh, Secretary, Health Department; Shri Dharmendra Kumar, Managing Director, BMSICL; Shri Suharsh Bhagat, Executive Director, State Health Committee, Bihar; Shri Shashank Shekhar Sinha, Chief Executive Officer, Bihar Health Safety Committee; Shri Amitabh Singh, Joint Secretary, Health Department; Shri Shailesh Kumar, Special Secretary, Health Department and Dr. Ravikant Singh, Incharge, Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Muzaffarpur
