New Delhi, Nov 2 Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Monday inaugurated a Rs 39-crore advanced radiotherapy facility at AIIMS Rajkot, aimed at improving access to specialised cancer treatment for an estimated 1.54 crore people across the Saurashtra region.
The facility, established under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), is expected to handle 500-700 patients annually and will benefit people who earlier had to travel to bigger cities such as Ahmedabad and Mumbai for specialised cancer treatment.
Addressing the gathering, Nadda said that cancer imposes a significant medical, emotional, social and financial burden on patients and their families.
He emphasised that timely treatment is critical and that no person should be deprived of quality cancer care because of their location or financial circumstances.
The minister noted that the new facility would particularly benefit people from Saurashtra and Kutch, who previously had to travel to distant cities for specialised treatment. He described the facility as a major step towards improving access to cancer care in the region.
Nadda highlighted the expansion of AIIMS under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, noting that India has progressed from one AIIMS in New Delhi to 22, 18 of them operational institutions, significantly strengthening access to specialised tertiary healthcare.
Emphasising prevention and early detection, he said approximately 37.7 crore people have been screened for oral cancer through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs since 2018, with around 2.5 lakh cases detected.
Around 17.7 crore women have been screened for breast cancer, identifying approximately 95,000 cases, while 9.8 crore women have undergone cervical cancer screening, with around one lakh cases detected.
He also highlighted that approximately 44 crore screenings each have been conducted for hypertension and diabetes, underlining the importance of early detection and timely treatment.
The minister referred to findings cited from a Lancet report indicating that 90 per cent of cancer patients begin treatment within 30 days. He attributed the improvement in timely access to treatment partly to the expansion of financial protection through Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
Eligible beneficiaries under the scheme at AIIMS Rajkot will be able to access cancer treatment free of cost, while other patients will receive treatment at subsidised rates, officials said.
Gujarat Minister of State for Health Praful Pansheriya welcomed the inauguration and expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for strengthening healthcare facilities in the region. He said the advanced radiotherapy facility would be of considerable benefit to people across Saurashtra.
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava described the inauguration as an important milestone in AIIMS Rajkot’s development and a significant step towards the vision of Viksit Bharat.
She highlighted the National Health Policy 2017, which envisages comprehensive healthcare encompassing preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative services, with universal health coverage as a national goal.
Srivastava said the government has strengthened healthcare infrastructure through more than 1.8 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission.
She also highlighted measures to make cancer medicines affordable, including trade margin rationalisation, AMRIT pharmacies, Jan Aushadhi Kendras and basic customs duty exemptions. CAR-T cell therapy is also available at affordable rates in India, she said.
The facility is equipped with a High Energy Linear Accelerator (LINAC), a Wide Bore CT Simulator and a High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy Unit.
These technologies enable advanced radiation treatment techniques, including intensity-modulated radiotherapy, image-guided radiotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery, allowing radiation to be delivered with millimetre-level accuracy.
(PTI News)
