Odisha to upgrade Govt Medical Colleges to Tertiary Cancer Care Centres

Bhubaneswar, Sep 19: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that all the government medical colleges would be upgraded to tertiary cancer care centres to provide quality healthcare services to cancer patients. He was addressing 29th annual national conference of Indian Association of Surgical Oncology here.

He said that state government would try to provide cancer treatment facilities at all district headquarters hospitals in the state. And, Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre in Cuttack would be upgraded to State Cancer Institute, he added.

The Chief Minister said that the Odisha government accorded top priority to provide quality healthcare to the people with special focus on the poor.  He said that in order to provide the top class health services the government has been planning to improve the infrastructure in different medical colleges and hospitals.

Speaking about Niramaya scheme, Patnaik said that more 63 varieties of medicines would be available as the patients are getting only 23 free medicines under this scheme.

The event was attended by Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Health Secretary Arti Ahuja and many other dignitaries.