GUWAHATI: Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Thursday, April 28, dedicated to the nation seven cancer hospitals in Assam at a function in Dibrugarh. These cancer hospitals are built at Dibrugarh, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Darrang, Tezpur, Lakhimpur, and Jorhat. The Dibrugarh Cancer Centre was dedicated to the nation by the PM earlier in the day when he visited the premises of the new hospital.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of seven new cancer hospitals at Dhubri, Nalbari, Goalpara, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Golaghat, to be constructed under phase 2 of the project. Governor of Assam Jagdish Mukhi, Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Rameswar Teli, Former CJI and Rajya Sabha member Ranjan Gogoi and noted industrialist Ratan Tata were among those present at the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister started by acknowledging the festive spirit of the season and paid homage to the great sons and daughters of Assam. The Prime Minister said that cancer hospitals in Assam that were dedicated to nation today and the ones for which foundation stone was laid today, will augment healthcare capacities in Northeast as well as South Asia.
Acknowledging that cancer has been a big problem not only in Assam but also in the North East, the Prime Minister said “our poorest, middle class families are the most affected by this”. For the treatment of cancer, till a few years ago, the patients here had to go to big cities which led to financial burden on poor and middle-class families.
Prime Minister Modi said that this year’s Budget’s has envisaged a 1500 crore rupees scheme Prime Minister's Development Initiative for North-East (PM-DeVINE). Under the scheme too, cancer treatment is a focus area and a facility is proposed for Guwahati also.
Assam Cancer Care Foundation, a joint venture of Government of Assam and Tata Trusts, is executing a project to build South Asia’s largest affordable cancer care network with 17 Cancer care hospitals spread across the state. Under Phase 1 of the project, out of 10 hospitals, the construction of seven hospitals have been completed while three hospitals are at various level of construction. Phase 2 of the project will witness construction of seven new cancer hospitals.
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