Chandigarh, June 18:- Taking a significant step towards providing better health facilities to women, the Haryana government will install full-field digital mammography machines in eight district hospitals of the state. This work will be done under the flagship initiative ‘Swasth Nari-Sashkat Parivar’ clinic launched by Chief Minister Shri Naib Singh Saini.
Giving information in this regard, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department Dr. Sumita Mishra said that through these machines, women will be provided with better facilities for breast cancer screening and timely treatment. She said that the mammography machines will be installed in the District Civil Hospitals of Panchkula, Rewari, Sonipat, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Karnal and Narnaul as well as in the Civil Hospital in Sector-10, Gurugram. With the installation of these machines, women will have access to advanced breast cancer screening facilities in their own district and they will not need to go to distant hospitals for treatment.
Dr. Mishra said that the ‘Swasth Nari-Sashkat Parivar’ clinic was launched by Chief Minister Shri Naib Singh Saini on May 29 this year. The aim of this initiative is to provide comprehensive screening, examination, consultation, diagnosis and preventive health services to women. In this regard, the State Health Purchase and Procurement Committee has approved the purchase of 11 full-field digital mammography machines through Haryana Medical Services Corporation Limited. He said that the cost of each machine is about Rs 1.18 crore. With the installation of these machines, the scope of cancer screening services for women in the state will be expanded and the health infrastructure will be further strengthened.
The Additional Chief Secretary informed that at present mammography services are available only in the Sub-Divisional Civil Hospital of Ambala Cantt and in Jhajjar and Rohtak districts. After the installation of the new machines, the facility of breast cancer screening will be available in other districts of the state, which will enable early detection of the disease and increase the success rate of treatment.
Dr. Mishra also informed that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, has approved the allocation of five additional mammography units to Haryana under the 'PM CARES' scheme. The state government had sent a request for nine machines through the National Health System Resource Centre, against which five machines have been approved. These additional machines will be installed in other districts based on the number of patients, local need and demand for service, so that quality screening facilities can be made available to women in maximum areas of the state.
Dr. Sumita Mishra said that early detection is one of the most effective measures in the fight against breast cancer. Timely detection not only makes treatment more successful, but also reduces complications and mortality due to the disease. She said that the expansion of mammography services reflects the commitment of the Haryana government to prioritize women's health and strengthen health services in the state. She expressed confidence that this initiative will provide timely screening and treatment to women and will see positive improvements in women's health indicators in the state.