Free travel facility to caner patients in HR buses

by Haryananewswire

CHANDIGARH, DEC 24

The Haryana Government has decided to provide free travel facility to cancer patients in the state in Haryana Roadways buses.

          Disclosing this here today, Health Minister Rao Narender said that cancer being a serious disease, the patients required continuous surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and such other facilities as are available only in PGIMS, Rohtak, and other similar institutions.

          About 50,000 cancer patients travel in the Haryana Roadways buses to reach various hospitals for treatment every year. It has been observed that a cancer patient has to visit hospital about 15 times in a year for treatment which costs him lot of money. Keeping this in view, the Chief Minister Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda has approved the proposal of Health Department to provide free travel facility to such patients in the Haryana Roadways buses.

          The Health Minister said that cancer patients could avail themselves of this facility only on the basis of the identity card issued by the civil surgeon of the district. The civil surgeon will issue the card only after verifying the treatment card of the patient.

The identity card would be valid for a maximum of 15 visits (to and fro) or one year. After the expiry of the validity, the patient would have to submit it in the office of the civil surgeon for issuance of new card.

The office of civil surgeon would be required to maintain complete record on the basis of which reimbursement would be made to the Transport Department by the Health Department. A provision of Rs 5 crore has been made for this purpose, the minister said