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Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday reviewed cancer care and tertiary healthcare infrastructure in West Bengal, visiting the Newtown campus of the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Kalyani, as part of his two-day tour of the state.
At CNCI's Newtown campus, Nadda, accompanied by Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar, inspected hospital wards and other facilities and expressed satisfaction over the quality of medical services being provided. Addressing doctors and senior officials, the Union Minister praised CNCI for achieving a significant milestone by becoming the first government cancer hospital in the country to receive National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) certification. He also highlighted that CNCI is the only government hospital in West Bengal with National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation across all its laboratory departments. Nadda lauded the institute's progress in research and innovation, noting its growing role as a major centre for oncology education and capacity building in India. Established in 1950 at Hazra in Kolkata, CNCI is one of the country's 27 Regional Cancer Centres and has evolved into a premier tertiary cancer institute with two campuses, around 670 beds, hospice and palliative care services, and a strong academic and research ecosystem. Earlier in the day, the Union Health Minister visited AIIMS Kalyani, where he reviewed the functioning and expansion of key healthcare services and dedicated several advanced facilities to the nation. These included fully functional Trauma and Emergency Services and state-of-the-art radiotherapy infrastructure equipped with a Linear Accelerator (LINAC), High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy and a CT-Simulator, aimed at strengthening tertiary care and comprehensive cancer treatment in the region. Nadda also inaugurated a Pneumatic Tube System at AIIMS Kalyani to enhance hospital efficiency through rapid and secure intra-hospital transport of critical samples. He later chaired a detailed review meeting to assess clinical services, patient load and the future roadmap of the institute, reaffirming the Centre's commitment to accessible, affordable and quality healthcare under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Nadda's visit to West Bengal began on January 8. On Thursday, he criticised the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, alleging failures in healthcare delivery and stating that the denial of the Ayushman Bharat scheme and ineffective implementation of welfare programmes had deprived poor and vulnerable sections of life-saving healthcare. (ANI)
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