Open indigenous medicines unit at IGIMS: Speaker

Assembly Speaker Uday Narain Choudhary urged the State Govt to ponder over a separate wing for indigenous medicines at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences.

Assembly Speaker Uday Narain Choudhary on Wednesday urged the State Government to ponder over a separate wing for indigenous medicines at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS).

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Speaking as the chief guest on the occasion of World Cancer Day, organised at the IGIMS here, the Speaker said the government should consider opening a wing for indigenous medicines like the ones at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. He said such a branch under a single roof with allopathic system of medicine, would immensely benefit the patients, especially those with cancer.

Choudhary further said the government should consider opening a free outdoor medicines store at the IGMS like the one in medical college hospitals and the primary health centers (PHCs).

Health Minister Nand Kishore Yadav, who was also present on the occasion, dwelt on awareness about cancer and its early treatment. He said the government was making every possible attempt to improve health infrastructure in the state so that people did not have to go outside the state. Yadav said the government was presently concentrating on bigger centres but would also like to develop the primary and additional primary health centers so that they were able to share the ever-increasing patient load.

Earlier, chief of cancer centre, AIIMS, Dr GK Rath, while emphasising on cancer awareness, said 50 per cent cancer cases in India were tobacco related.

Dr SC Sharma of Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Chandigarh and Dr Diwakar Dalela of King George’s Medical College, Lucknow, advocated lifestyle modification by shunning tobacco and alcohol. They strongly advised against adopting western food habits, especially junk food, and advocated a nutritious, fibrous diet.

Among others who spoke on the occasion were legislators Nitin Navin and RR Kanaujia, MLC Ganga Prasad and Advisor to Jharkhand Governor TP Sinha and president of Asia Pacific Max Foundation, Viji Venkatesh.

IGIMS Director Dr Arun Kumar welcomed the guests while chairman of the organizing committee, Dr Uday Kumar proposed a vote of thanks.

A large number of people turned up for the camp in which some costly screening tests like Viral marker (Hepatitis marker), CD-20 marker, ER/PR, Electro-Cardiography (ECG) and others were done free of cost.