High-end cancer care block inaugurated at MNJ Cancer Hospital

In a significant step towards making expensive super-specialty cancer care facilities accessible to the needy in Telangana, the State government in collaboration with Aurobindo Pharma on Sunday inaugurated the high-end cancer care block at MNJ Cancer Hospital.

The eight-storied 300-bedded new cancer care block spread over 2.32 lakh sq ft is developed by the Aurobindo Pharma Foundation, the CSR wing of Aurobindo Pharma at a cost of Rs. 80 crore.

Health Minister, T.Harish Rao, who inaugurated the cancer block along with Union Minister for Tourism, G Kishan Reddy, said, “the new block increases the number of specialty cancer care beds at MNJ Cancer Hospital to 750 beds. On its part, the Telangana government has incurred an expenditure of nearly Rs. 60 crore to develop MNJ Cancer Hospital. I thank Aurobindo Pharma for developing this block.”

The modern cancer care block will have separate wings for women and children. To ensure continuity in education of children who are undergoing treatment, the paediatric wing will have a dedicated teacher and a library, he said.

The new facility will also have an exclusive department for conducting highly expensive cancer treatment like bone marrow transplants. Typically, bone marrow transplants costs upwards of Rs. 10 lakh and such treatments will be covered



under Arogyasri and the patients will also receive life-saving drugs for their entire lifetime for free.

“Successive governments in the past have failed to modernize supers-specialty healthcare and medical education in Telangana region. To address these issues, Chief Minister, K Chandrashekhar Rao has launched

specific measures at creating a fourth-level i.e. super-specialty healthcare facilities, in addition to government primary, secondary and tertiary levels,” he said.

In the coming year, patients will have 10,000 super-specialty beds in government hospitals. In addition to strengthening existing facilities at NIMS, MNJ, Osmania and Gandhi Hospital, the Telangana government is developing four more super-specialty hospitals in and around Hyderabad and one super-specialty healthcare city in Warangal, he said.

“This year we are also set to launch nine government medical colleges,” he said adding, “these steps at strengthening healthcare infrastructure, super-specialty medical care and manpower is a fitting reply

for skeptics who kept doubting about development of Telangana after statehood.”

MD and Vice-Chairman, Aurobindo Pharma, D Nithyananda Reddy, Secretary, Health, SAM Rizvi, Director, MNJ Cancer Hospital, Dr Jayalatha and senior health officials were present.