After years of wait, cancer care centre in Fazilka to open doors

After a long delay and missed deadlines, the Tertiary Cancer Care Centre (TCCC) in Fazilka is set to begin operations in about two weeks. Construction of the facility started in 2016, with initial plans to open within two years. However, various issues — including funding shortages and administrative hurdles — led to significant delays.

The management of the centre has now been handed over to Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) in Faridkot, as the state health department cited challenges, including a lack of doctors, as reasons for its inability to operate the centre.

Dr Sumit Kataria, who oversees TCCC for BFUHS, announced the outpatient department (OPD) would start within 15 days, following the hiring of a radiotherapist. He explained the Health Department would provide specialised software to maintain patient records, enabling individuals to receive treatment anywhere in the state based on their medical history.

Additionally, an oncology surgeon would visit the centre weekly from the cancer hospital in Bathinda and chemotherapy services are expected to begin in about a month. A cancer detection van would also be deployed to conduct mammograms in rural areas, helping to screen for breast cancer.

Despite these advancements, the university has requested Rs 75 crore from the state government to purchase necessary equipment; however, no funds have been released yet. In the meantime, the university plans to use its own funds to acquire a radiotherapy machine from Germany for approximately Rs 40 crore, which is expected to be operational within three to four months.

Fazilka MLA Narinderpal Singh Sawna visited the centre recently to assess progress and assured officials he would advocate for government funding to support the facility’s needs.