First phase will soon operational, says Health Minister

He was speaking yesterday, at the Cancer Unit of Victoria Hospital, where he visited patients suffering from cancer, along with the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mrs Kalpana Devi Koonjoo-Shah and other personalities. The visit was organised in the context of International Cancer Day 2020. 

Government, the Health Minister said, aims at providing latest medical technology and quality healthcare to citizens through the provision of best healthcare services. He underlined that the country has already a well-established structure for cancer, but still needs to upgrade and modernise with the ongoing technological development. He reiterated Government’s commitment to enhancing public healthcare services by investing massively in the provision of modern equipment and facilities as well as upgrading existing healthcare infrastructures.

Dr Jagutpal also recognised and lauded the effort, hard work and dedication of the personnel of the Cancer Unit, adding that attending to the needs of cancer patients is not an easy task. According to him, it requires utmost care, patience, commitment and the willingness to serve so as to deliver quality and effective services. Good communication and customer care are equally important tools to facilitate the lives of the patients as well as providing them with the most favorable environment, he added.

For her part, Minister Koonjoo-Shah recalled that International Cancer Day is observed every year on 4 February to raise awareness about cancer and the contribution of one and all in the fight against cancer so as to bring a decrease in deaths caused by this disease. It is also an opportune time to raise awareness among people who are not aware of the disease and to impart knowledge about treatments, prevention, research and of coping up with the disease. She urged the population to go for cancer screening as early detection of cancer greatly increases the chances for successful treatment.