Srinagar: The J&K High Court has directed the government to strictly comply with guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MHFW), government of India for ensuring treatment of cancer patients and speed up work of upcoming State Cancer Institute.
The court held that the concerned authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have a statutory and legal duty to ensure all requisite measures are taken so that sufferings cancer patients are mitigated as per the guidelines of MHFW.
The court also directed the respondents to speed up the work of construction of operation theatres in the upcoming State Cancer Institute as per the proposed requisition.
The Division Bench of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur while disposing a plea of a cancer patient, Rabia Khursheed who herself has gone through five cancer surgeries recorded that since the issue of growing menace of cancer cases is an issue which not only directly concerns the public at large, but also requires all possible efforts and steps from the functionaries of the government so that the same is reduced to the minimal possible position.
“However, we find it very painful that the petitioner, being a cancer patient and having undergone five cancer removal surgeries on various occasions has to approach this Court and state that the government has failed in providing any proper infrastructure or assistance to the cancer patients, as is due to the citizens belonging to a welfare society like the Jammu and Kashmir,” it noted.
It was directed to the respondents to ensure that every possible step is taken in the process of making available the operation theatres for the department of surgical oncology throughout the week.
It, however, gave the petitioner liberty to approach the Court again if the grievance as projected by her is not redressed.
The court said that the authorities concerned do not constrain the petitioner, who is a cancer patient, to knock at the portals of this Court again with reference to providing adequate and timely treatment to the cancer patients in Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier Advocate Syed Musaib representing the petitioner had raised the issue of lack of facilities to the cancer patients at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura.
It was submitted by the counsel that less number of surgeries were performed due to insufficient operation theatres at SKIMS and there is a long list of cancer patients, who are waiting in queue to get operated.
The counsel had pleaded that the new Cancer Hospital, the respondents, instead of giving major focus on operation theatres for treatment of cancer patients, are adding new beds for various categories in the hospital which adversely affects the cause of people suffering from serious ailment.

NUSRAT SIDIQ