India crosses 150-crore COVID vaccination mark: PM Modi at Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute inauguration
This is the first inauguration event that the Prime Minister took part in following the major security lapse in Punjab on January 5.
FollowPrime Minister Narendra Modi in a huge gift to West Bengal on Friday inaugurated the second campus of the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) in Kolkata via video conferencing. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya were also present on this occasion.
This is the first inauguration event that the Prime Minister took part in following the major security lapse in Punjab on January 5 that led to the cancellation of his scheduled visit to the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala and also laying foundation stone of several developmental projects worth over Rs 42,750 crore in Ferozepur.
Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said, India on Friday reached the historic milestone of administering 150 crore vaccine doses. We started 2022 on a high note by starting vaccination dose for 15-18 years old.
“Within 5 days, more than 1.5 crore children have been administered the Covid vaccine. Over 90 per cent of India's adult population has already got first dose of Covid vaccine,” the PM said.
“We are planning tirelessly to improve healthcare amenities and infrastructure for rich and the poor alike for a safe and secure future,” the PM added.
PM Modi further said, “Out of the entire eligible population, over 90% of India's population has at least got one dose. In just 5 days, over 1.5 crore children aged between 15-17 have been given a dose.”
“To transform our healthcare system, our government is promoting preventive healthcare, affordable healthcare and supply side intervention,” PM Modi stated.
Coming back to the inauguration, the second campus of CNCI has been built at a cost of over Rs 530 crore, out of which around Rs 400 crores have been provided by the Union government and the rest by the West Bengal government, in the ratio of 75:25, the PMO release stated.
According to the release, the campus is a 460 bedded comprehensive cancer center unit with cutting-edge infrastructure for cancer diagnosis, staging, treatment, and care. The campus is equipped with modern facilities like Nuclear Medicine (PET), 3.0 Tesla MRI, 128 slice CT scanner, Radionuclide therapy unit, endoscopy suite, modern brachytherapy units, etc.
The campus will also work as an advanced cancer research facility and will provide comprehensive care to cancer patients especially those from Eastern and North-Eastern parts of the country.
PMO also said that CNCI was facing a heavy load of cancer patients. A need for expansion was being felt for some time, and the second campus will fulfil it.
