JAMMU, Sept 24: Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister in PMO with independent charge of Science and Technology, stated today that the facility will serve the three provinces of J&K, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh, maintaining that it may be a huge benefit for the area. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the opening of Jammu and Kashmir’s first-ever state-of-the-art Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) Mumbai affiliated Cancer Care Unit in the new block of Government Medical College Kathua, the Minister stated that the establishment of this state-of-the-art centre is the result of PM Modi’s desire to provide people across the nation with affordable and accessible healthcare facilities.On this occasion, he also unveiled GMC Kathua’s new Maternal ICU. Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed his pain at the daily calls from various areas of the area from beseeching relatives appealing to arrange for the admission of cancer patients at Tata Hospital Mumbai or to provide for lodging for the attendants. He later made the decision to launch the Tata-affiliated facility in Kathua, and as a result, he shifted the paperwork in the Department of Atomic Energy, which oversees the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai. The construction of the Cancer Centre in a convenient location like Kathua, according to the Union Minister, will allow patients from J&K, HP, and Punjab to receive reasonably priced treatment while also saving time and effort.According to Dr. Singh, malignancies of every kind and affecting every organ are occurring worldwide due to factors such as an extended lifespan, altered lifestyles, environmental conditions, etc. Therefore, he said, a Tata Satellite Cancer care facility in Kathua will prove to be a huge benefit for the area. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tata Memorial Centre satellite hospitals and facilities have opened in numerous locations across the nation. In Guwahati, Onco DM and MCH super speciality courses have been begun, which could one day be considered for Kathua as well.Dr. Jitendra Singh claimed that the Udhampur-Kathua-Doda Parliamentary Constituency, which includes three centrally funded medical colleges, North India’s first biotech park in Kathua, the centrally funded Ayurvedic College in Kishtwar, the National Institute of High Altitude Medicine in Bhaderwah, and an upcoming homoeopathy college in Kathua, could be the future “Health Circuit” of the area. Additionally, with the opening of the Day-care Chemotherapy (Onco-care) Unit at GMC Kathua today, the final piece needed for the region to provide accessible and inexpensive cancer care has been added, making cancer treatment more readily available.Onco-care will be upgraded in GMC Kathua in the upcoming years as Onco DM and MCH seats will be provided to it and world-class cancer specialists will be invited here for treatment, lectures, and seminars, Dr. Jitendra Singh told the crowd after officially opening the much-needed Day-care Cancer Chemotherapy Unit. He claimed that training in this area has been given to technicians.The Minister also opened the GMC Kathua’s Maternal ICU and donated money to build a 300 LPM oxygen plant. He claimed that because of the COVID pandemic, he realised the need to build an oxygen plant in the hospital to handle future emergencies. According to Dr. Jitendra Singh, India has taken the lead in the production of vaccines for the prevention of cancers like “CERVAVAC” because the country’s biotechnology industry is expanding at a rapid rate. By 2025, India is expected to have a $150 billion bioeconomy, up from over $100 billion in 2022.The roadmap for a “Healthy India” under PM Narendra Modi, according to Dr. Jitendra Singh, is affordable, accessible healthcare. This is demonstrated by the fact that more than 260 new medical colleges have been established in the nation, with a 79 percent increase in MBBS seats and a 93 percent increase in PG seats in just 9 years. Additionally, 22 AIIMS have been approved. According to Dr. Singh, India has transitioned from a sectoral and segmented strategy to the delivery of health services to a complete need-based approach, and is now viewed as a role model in crisis management and preventative healthcare.Dr. Jitendra Singh praised PM Narendra Modi for putting “Preventive Health Care” in the country’s forefront for the first time because of this, India was able to manufacture two DNA vaccines and one nasal vaccination in just two years. Dr. Jitendra Singh also praised the UT government for providing a location for the opening of the Kathua Cancer Centre. According to Bhupinder Kumar, Secretary of Health and Medical Education for J&K, the opening of the Day-care Chemotherapy Onco-care Unit at GMC Kathua will improve access to and the cost-effectiveness of cancer treatment in the region.Raghunandan Singh Bablu, D C Kathua, Rakesh Minhas, K K Parashar of the Paytem Foundation, Neeraj Goud of the Maha Manav Malviya Mission, and others were present, along with DDC Vice Chairman Kathua.
