Bengaluru: Cancer treatment centres to come up in all regions

Bengaluru: The State government will open Cancer Treatment Centres in all regional zones, announced Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The Chief Minister, in his address, after launching a public awareness programme at Uttarahalli on the occasion of 'World Cancer Day', stressed the importance of providing better treatment facilities for cancer patients. Action has been initiated to purchase two Pet Scan machines as part of modernisation of Kidwai Cancer Hospital. It costs around Rs 25,000 for Pet Scan in private hospitals. State government has decided to provide the facility at Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000 for the poor patients by equipping Kidwai Cancer Hospital with the machinery, Bommai said.

The State government intends to provide costly cancer medicines at affordable price for the common man through Jan Aushadi Kendras. Talks would be held with the Union government and drug manufacturing companies in this regard. There is a also proposal to establish a society to supply cancer drugs at an affordable price for the people. State government is committed to building a healthy Karnataka by upgrading the health infrastructure from taluk level, Bommai said. Bommai called upon women afflicted by breast cancer not to lose heart as cancer is curable. "You can lead a normal life after treatment. You need not lose hope." A year-long public awareness campaign on breast cancer would be launched from taluk level hospitals to Kidwai hospital. Special programmes too would be held to deal with the disease, he said.

A healthy society is a prerequisite to build happy Karnataka. Government would pay special attention to education and health. The scourge of cancer could be eradicated with the government and the communities working together. Public awareness campaigns would play a supplementary role in this regard, he explained. Appreciating the confidence and morale of a woman who won the 10-12 year-long battle against vocal cord cancer, Bommai said, she has regained her speech now. Bommai was full of praise for the woman who shared her experience at the function and raised the confidence of cancer patients to be optimistic to defeat the disease.