Mira-Bhayandar: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has sought the intervention of Deputy Chief Minister- Ajit Pawar to release funds for the construction of the proposed cancer hospital and research institute in Mira Road. Emphasizing the need for the facility which eludes the citizens living between Palghar and Parel, former opposition leader in the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation and secretary of the party’s state unit- Dr. Asif Shaik met deputy chief minister- Ajit Pawar while submitting a request to allocate ₹134 crore which is needed for the construction of the medical institution. “The funding is crucial to expedite the construction of the hospital and equip it with needed health care infrastructure.
Hospital to benefit 1.5 million residents
Once ready, the hospital will not only benefit the 1.5 million residents of the twin-city but also thousands of people living in the surrounding areas up to Palghar, while eliminating the necessity of patients and their kin who are forced to travel all the way to hospitals for the treatment of cancer as far as Parel.” said Shaikh. “The deputy chief minister expressed his commitment to ensuring that the necessary funds are allocated at the earliest.” added Shaikh.
The ambitious project mooted by the civic administration of constructing a full-fledged hospital building to facilitate cancer treatment facilities in the twin city continues to remain grounded for the past more than six months. Deputy Chief minister-Devendra Fadnavis had remotely laid the foundation-stone on an online mode for the construction of a slew of proposed projects including a full-fledged cancer treatment hospital in the centrally located Sai Baba Nagar area of Mira Road on April 22, 2023. Fadnavis had given an in-principle nod to the proposed cancer hospital and research institute project and said that the entire funding would be made available by the state government.
Dr Asif Shaikh with DCM Ajit Pawar | FPJ
Hospital project hits a roadblock due to delay in funds
However, the project is yet to move beyond the drawing board due to the inordinate delay by the state government authorities in disbursing funds needed for the project. The hospital project which carries an estimated price tag of ₹134 crore is proposed to come on an area measuring 3,200 square meters by unifying two plots tagged with reservation numbers 210 (dispensary and maternity hospital) and 211 (library).
The proposed cancer hospital which is expected to be similar to that which has been built in Nagpur is proposed to be equipped with imaging centre, chemotherapy ward, outpatient department (OPD), intensive care units, operation theatre, blood bank, laundry, laboratory, premium rooms, general wards, conference room, general waiting area, doctors lounge and separate dormitories for male, females and patients’ families.
