GUWAHATI, June 3 � The State Government will soon announce a scheme under which free treatment will be provided to children suffering from blood cancer.
Children below 12 years will be covered by the scheme.
State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed this while talking to media persons on the sidelines of an interaction session with the parents and guardians of children with congenital heart diseases at the Gauhati Medical College auditorium.
�As per our estimate, Rs 15 to Rs 20 lakh would have to be spent on each child patient diagnosed with blood cancer and the State Government is planning to launch the scheme before August 15,� Sarma said, adding that there is a plan to set up a super specialty hospital in the city. Meanwhile, as part of the programme under which children with congenital disease are operated/ treated free of cost at Bangalore and Kolkota, a batch of four children left for Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospitals and Rabindranath Tagore Hospital.
The Health Minister announced that 315 children will be sent for treatment in the next two months.
So far, 798 children suffering from congenital heart disease had already been treated free of cost under the State Government scheme. The State Government spends between Rs 5 to Rs 6 crore annually on this programme.
