In a first in Meghalaya, the state government signed a cancer care agreement with Apollo Telehealth Foundation on Wednesday.
Speaking at the occasion, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said healthcare is a challenge that the state is facing.
"It starts from simple things like a child's health, a mother's health, the nutrition of the child and a disease like cancer which incidentally is very high in the state,” he said.
Sangma said the government has made a lot of investments.
“There are numerous challenges in this sector and we have set out on a war footing to address those challenges and the effort is not just from the Health department but a concerted effort by the government to ensure that Health is given priority,” he said.
The chief minister then said that the project which is the first in the country is not only important for Meghalaya but it could be a model for the country to follow and replicate.
“With the involvement of partners like the World Economic Forum and the Apollo healthcare, this will prove to be pathbreaking not only in Meghalaya where cancer is high but also for the rest of the country,” he said.
He then urged all stakeholders in the project to keep the larger goal of saving lives in mind.
“The motivation and guiding principle should be that every single individual afflicted with cancer can be saved by early diagnosis and giving the right treatment,” he concluded.
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