Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday laid the foundation stone for a paediatric cancer hospital at Phulwarisharif in Patna. The hospital, being built by the Mahavir Mandir Trust, will have a capacity of 100 beds and will provide free treatment to all cancer-affected children below 18 years.
The hospital will be built at a cost of approximately Rs 25 crore. Named Mahavir Bal Cancer Hospital, it will be a six-storey building equipped with all modern facilities for the treatment of cancer-affected children. The hospital will also have facilities for the entertainment and education of the children.
Secretary of Mahavir Temple Trust, Acharya Kishore Kunal, said, “During the inauguration of the children’s special ward at Mahavir Cancer Institute on November 30, 2005, the then President APJ Abdul Kalam envisioned a separate cancer hospital for children. In honour of his sentiment, Mahavir Cancer Institute has been providing free treatment to all cancer patients up to the age of 18 since then. The Mahavir Children Cancer Hospital is expected to be completed by the end of 2025 and will provide significant relief to the cancer-affected children of Bihar and other states.”
Dr LB Singh, medical superintendent of Mahavir Cancer Institute, stated that several arrangements will be made in the hospital to keep children suffering from cancer connected to the mainstream.