Chandigarh, January 30:- Haryana Health Minister Aarti Singh Rao said that in the coming period, the main focus of the state government will be on eliminating anemia and cancer from the state. The number of tests related to cancer screening will be increased.
The Health Minister was talking to the media in Chandigarh today. Concerned about the increasing number of cancer patients, Aarti Singh Rao said that free travel facility is being provided to cancer patients and one assistant in government buses for cancer treatment. Along with this, financial assistance of Rs 3000 per month is being given to stage-3 and stage-4 cancer patients.
To further strengthen cancer treatment, a 50-bed Atal Cancer Care Centre has been set up in the Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantt, which is equipped with modern equipment like mammography, CT simulator and linear accelerator. This centre is providing comprehensive cancer care services not only to the patients of Haryana but also to the patients of the neighbouring states.
He also informed that a historic increase has been made in the health budget. While the health budget in the financial year 2014-15 was Rs. 2,646 crore, in the financial year 2025-26 it has been increased to Rs. 9,942 crore, which shows an increase of 275 percent.
Aarti Singh Rao informed that appointment letters have been issued to 746 Medical Officers and 845 Ayurvedic Medical Officers to overcome the shortage of doctors. Apart from this, 346 medical officers and 154 specialists are also providing their services under the National Health Mission.
He said that MRI scan facility is available in five districts while MoUs have been signed for Panipat and Kurukshetra and tenders have been issued for the remaining 9 districts. He said that to reduce the out-of-pocket expenditure of the common citizens, free dialysis service is being provided to the residents of Haryana from 17th October 2024.
In response to another question, the Health Minister said that separate and modern Mother and Child Health Wings are being set up in all district hospitals to strengthen maternity and child health services in the state. The construction of this wing has been completed in Panchkula, work in Panipat is in the final stage while construction work in Faridabad and Sonipat has started from September 2025. Administrative approval for this wing of Rs 20 crore has been issued for Palwal, Sirsa and Kaithal.
Aarti Singh Rao said that work is being done in the state at a fast pace under the Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyan due to which the anemia rate in the state has been reduced from 59 percent to 53 percent and Haryana has moved up from 5th to 3rd place in the national ranking. Apart from this, under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, Janaushadhi Kendras are functioning in all the civil hospitals of 22 districts of the state, due to which medicines are being provided to the patients at low prices.
The state government has also taken important steps in the field of food security. Food testing labs are functioning in Chandigarh and Karnal while 5 mobile food testing labs have been deployed in different districts. Also, clean and safe street food hubs are being developed in Ambala, Karnal, Hisar and Gurugram.
Health Minister Aarti Singh Rao said that the goal of the Haryana government is to develop a strong, people-centric and modern health system through which quality health services can be available to every citizen on time and without financial burden.
He said that the state government is fully committed to providing affordable, accessible and quality health services to the citizens. He said that the health department is continuously strengthening the infrastructure, human resources, modern equipment and essential medicines so that effective control over communicable and non-communicable diseases can be maintained.