Bhubaneswar, July 12 (TIWN) On the occasion of the Rath Yatra, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday laid the foundation for two state-of-the-art cancer care institutions here at Infovalley.

Sri Shankar Foundation will run the 750-bed cancer hospital, while Bengaluru-based hospice trust will run the 110-bed palliative care unit. It will help the capital city to become a leading centre of the country in cancer care and palliative services. The palliative care unit will provide free service, official sources said. Subroto Bagchi, chairman of Odisha skill development authority and wife Susmita Bagchi, chairperson of Mo School Abhiyan, have donated Rs 340 crore for these two cancer care institutions.

The chief minister praised the couple for this noble effort. Naveen while addressing the people on the occasion said that both the institutions will help the patients of Odisha in accessing quality health care facilities. The state government will provide all support for its early completion, he added. Sri Shankara Cancer Foundation, led by Dr Srinath, is setting up the cancer hospital which will work on a cross-subsidy model. Naveen further said that Kishore Rao and Gurmeet Randhawa, founders of Bangalore Hospice Trust and their team have been serving the needs of the dying with dignity for over 25 years through their Karunashraya. Dr Srinath of Shankar Cancer Foundation said the hospital will be a one stop cancer centre with all the treatment facility including bone marrow transplantation. The hospital will have a PG Training facility on oncology, he added. Randhawa said the palliative centre in Bhubaneswar will be developed as the best palliative care facility in the world. They will train over 25,000 youths, including tribal girls, in the next five years.