Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced that the ‘state-of-the-art’ cancer hospital, which is coming up at the SSKM Hospital in collaboration with Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, is on the verge of completion and will bring a revolution in the health infrastructure of the state.
Banerjee said that her government has already spent more than Rs 100 crore on procuring various modern equipment. People from across Bengal who are unable to access cancer treatment at private hospitals due to the high costs of treatment will be able to access world-class treatment at the government level, free of cost. Banerjee was speaking at a programme at SSKM Hospital. “
We are setting up two modern cancer hospitals in the state. One is coming up at the SSKM, which is near completion. Another is being set up in Siliguri. All the modern facilities will be available in these hospitals. Our government has already given more than Rs 100 crore for procuring various modern gadgets at the upcoming cancer hospital in SSKM,” said Banerjee.According to data, around 25 per cent of cancer patients from Bengal go to Mumbai’s Tata Memorial for treatment. But they face many difficulties there.
Sometimes they face inconvenience in arranging food and accommodation, while on other occasions, they face problems in getting appointments with doctors.
Another cancer hospital at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital will greatly benefit people from North Bengal, as they will no longer have to travel to Kolkata for cancer treatment.