Himachal court questions government on ailing cancer centre

Shimla, May 30 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh High Court Wednesday directed the state government to file a reply on why posts of medical physicists and physicist technicians in the regional cancer centre here, of the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, had not been filled.

The court noted that it was only on account of delay in filling vacancies that the cobalt unit for radiotherapy had not become functional, despite dire need of its services.

A division bench comprising Chief Justices Kurian Joseph and Dharamchand Chaudhary passed the order on the writ petition of Namita Maniktala on non-implementation of the of the National Cancer Control Programme in the state.

The petitioner had requested increase of bed capacity in the hospital, in view of the increasing numbers of patients.

The bench directed the state to clarify whether it had assessed the need for more beds in terms of the larger numbers of patients availing chemotherapy.

"It shall also be clarified that what steps have been taken to implement the National Cancer Control Mission in the state," the bench observed.

The state has been directed to file its reply within a month, and the next hearing has been fixed for July 11.