Cooch Behar: A major proposal to establish a cancer treatment hub in Cooch Behar has been put forward by the Standing Committee of the state Health department. The plan involves utilising the old heritage buildings of MJN Medical College & Hospital to set up the hub, aimed at benefiting cancer patients across North Bengal.
The proposal was discussed during a meeting of the Health department’s Standing Committee held on Tuesday at the conference hall of the Cooch Behar District Magistrate’s office. The meeting was chaired by Nirmal Majhi, Chairman of the Standing Committee and attended by committee members Pradeep Verma, Khagendra Nath Mahato, Rana Chatterjee, MLAs Souman Ray and Gouri Shankar, District Magistrate Arvind Kumar Meena, Superintendent of Police Dyutiman Bhattacharya, senior Health department officials and representatives from the medical college, including the principal and vice-principal.
Majhi stated: “The state government is spending thousands of crores on cancer treatment. Today, we proposed setting up a major cancer hub in the old buildings of MJN Medical College, which spans 25 acres. These buildings, originally constructed by the Maharajas, will house a state-of-the-art cancer care facility providing free treatment.”
Additionally, a proposal was introduced to establish a trauma care centre near the National Highway to improve emergency response capabilities. “Both proposals will be submitted to the Chief Minister during the Assembly session. We are hopeful of their approval,” Majhi added.
He also praised the ongoing services at the hospital, noting a significant reduction in infant mortality and commending the dedication of the hospital’s doctors and nurses.
In light of recent concerns over hospital safety, enhanced security measures, including CCTV surveillance and dedicated accommodation for medical staff, have been implemented.
Majhi further mentioned that despite the operational presence of the Moradanga Primary Health Centre near Changrabandha, patient inflow remains high. As a result, the committee has recommended increasing the number of beds in Moradanga and another district-level PHC to 30 beds each.