Cancer patients cut ribbon for new suggestion box at Chandrapur hospital

Patients visiting Pandit Deendayal Cancer Hospital in Chandrapur will now be able to send their feedback directly to the administration through a new suggestion box launched at the hospital. The facility was inaugurated by two cancer patients, Rukminibai Aakrupi and Shankar Aakrupi, from Lambabori village in Jivti taluka, who cut the ribbon. The initiative was taken by MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar to give patients battling the serious illness both treatment and reassurance.

Mungantiwar said that in a serious illness like cancer, it is not just the patient but the entire family that comes to the hospital carrying worry and distress. The suggestion box was started with the idea that patients should get good treatment along with a sense of warmth and support, that their difficulties and expectations be understood, and that the hospital's services keep improving continuously. He said it gave him satisfaction that the box was inaugurated by the hands of the two cancer patients themselves.

According to Mungantiwar, the box will allow patients and their families to directly share their views on the hospital's services, facilities, problems and needed improvements. He said it should not be used only for complaints, but also for suggestions on how the hospital could be made better, what additional facilities patients could be given, and how treatment procedures could be made easier. He said feedback from patients' experiences would serve as an important guide for the hospital's future direction.

Mungantiwar also said that so cancer patients from Chandrapur district would not have to travel to distant cities like Mumbai for treatment, he had persistently demanded that the government build a state-of-the-art cancer hospital in Chandrapur. He said he had made this a priority ever since becoming finance minister in 2014. The project, built with help from the Mineral Development Fund and the Tata Trust, has now been completed and is proving to be a major support for cancer patients of eastern Vidarbha. He said the hospital should not be limited to advanced facilities alone but should build a reputation as a patient-friendly cancer treatment centre in the state.

Mungantiwar said cancer patients who come to the hospital arrive carrying fear and anxiety, and the hospital's functioning should ensure that, through advanced treatment, the services of specialist doctors and an atmosphere of warmth, they leave free of worry, with confidence and renewed hope. He said the hospital's true identity is built not just by its machines but by the quality of treatment, reliable service and warmth that patients receive.

He said efforts would also be made to use AI technology at the hospital. He said he would discuss with the health minister the use of AI technology to ensure that, under the Jeevandayee scheme, financial assistance for patients after surgery is disbursed without delay. He said government assistance must reach patients fighting illnesses such as paralysis and cancer on time, and that the benefits of health schemes must reach as many needy patients as possible.

Primary health centres in Chandrapur district have been upgraded, and the inauguration of the government medical college and hospital is also expected soon. In addition, a hospital is being built in Ballarpur through the AYUSH ministry. Mungantiwar said that once land is secured for it, an effort will be made to build a modern hospital there with the best treatment facilities, including AI-assisted robotic surgery.

Mungantiwar said his role is to ensure that the hospital, run in the name of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, becomes an excellent centre providing good, advanced healthcare to the underprivileged, needy and ordinary citizens at the lowest rung of society. He said giving importance to patients' suggestions is essential so that every patient who visits the hospital receives dignity, support and confidence along with treatment. He also said land for building staff quarters at the cancer hospital was inspected, and he directed the concerned officials to prepare a project report for accommodation for officers and staff, a dharamshala, and housing for nurses.