SHILLONG, Nov 29: The Division Bench of the High Court of Meghalaya has observed that there is a need for a super-specialty cancer treatment centre in the state and has asked the state government and NEIGRIHMS to indicate details as to the facilities that would be available immediately or within the next two or three months for treatment of cancer patients.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate Lurshaprang Shongwan, the Division bench consisting of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee, and Justice W. Diengdoh, on Monday said that the concern in the writ petition pertains to the lack of a super-specialty cancer treatment centre in the state.
The Court also took cognizance of the state government’s admission that there is no cancer treatment centre at present and an oncology wing is being added to the Shillong Civil Hospital which is nearing completion.
It was also submitted on behalf of the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) that an oncology unit is proposed at such institute and it has also begun in a rudimentary form which is expected to be upgraded into a full-fledged wing upon completion of the civil construction work.
“Let the matter appear a fortnight hence. Both the State and the NEIGRIHMS should indicate details as to the facilities that would be available immediately or within the next two or three months,” the order stated.
The state government and NEIGRIHMS have also been asked to indicate the number of patients suffering from cancer in state and the number of beds and the size of the outpatient block that may be necessary if a stand-alone, super-specialty cancer clinic were to be set up in the state.
“There is no doubt that such a centre has to come up and the state should also indicate any proposed site and the preliminary plan of action in such regard,” the Court observed.
The matter has been listed for hearing on December 13.
