Patan: Residents of North Gujarat will no longer have to travel to Ahmedabad for several specialised cancer diagnostic and treatment services, with the inauguration of a new cancer hospital in Patan on Sunday.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the P.B. Patan Janata Cancer Hospital, operated by the Jeevan Jyot Charitable Trust, and noted the facility would help cancer patients from Patan and neighbouring areas to access advanced treatment closer to home.
The hospital has procured a Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machine for radiotherapy at an estimated cost of around Rs 22 crore.
It will also introduce Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan facilities, which were previously unavailable in North Gujarat. The PET scan service will be provided free of charge to Ayushman Bharat cardholders.
Addressing the gathering, Patel said that although Patan was an important healthcare centre in North Gujarat, the region had lacked specialised cancer treatment facilities. “The new hospital would help bridge this gap and reduce the need for patients to travel outside the region for treatment,” he added.
The Chief Minister also spoke about the growing incidence of lifestyle-related diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure and mental stress, and expressed concern over increasing tobacco consumption and other addictions.
Referring to the traditional saying, “Stretch your legs only as far as your blanket allows”, he called for a balanced lifestyle, regular yoga and healthier dietary habits.
He urged people to embrace the vision of a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ and adopt preventive healthcare practices advocated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Patel also stressed the importance of environmental conservation, cleanliness and water management, saying that the goal of making India a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047 could be achieved only if citizens remained healthy.
He called on people to participate in the Centre’s ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign by harvesting rainwater and facilitating groundwater recharge.
The CM also urged them to plant trees under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative to increase green cover and address global warming.
Dr Pramodbhai Patel, managing trustee of Jeevan Jyot Charitable Trust, said: “Janata Hospital has provided more than 15 lakh outpatient consultations and treated over 1.5 lakh inpatients. It has also performed more than one lakh surgeries.”
He added, “The hospital has conducted over 1.5 lakh CT scans, more than 50,000 MRI scans, over 15,000 angiographies and more than 2,000 angioplasties.”
It has also introduced several specialised healthcare services in North Gujarat, including dialysis, intensive care, catheterisation laboratory facilities and neurosurgery.
Dr Patel said the trust, with continued support from donors, was planning to expand its super-speciality services in the coming years.
The proposed facilities include bone marrow and kidney transplantation, robotic surgery and cardiac surgery, which are currently unavailable in North Gujarat.
A felicitation ceremony was also held to honour the donors who contributed to the establishment of the cancer hospital.
(IANS)
