Amritsar, August 28
Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today promised a regional cancer treatment centre in Punjab while launching the national ‘Free Drugs and Iron Plus Initiative’ to check anaemia among children here. The initiative would ensure weekly folic acid supplements to infants.

Azad said the government planned to open 20 such cancer treatment centres in the country. The Union Cabinet is expected to approve the proposal any time, he said.

While the minister lauded the role of the state government for checking maternal and child mortality, he expressed concern over the dwindling sex ratio in the region. Talking about drug abuse in Punjab, he blamed Pakistan for it. "Earlier, Pakistan introduced terrorism in Punjab and Jammu Kashmir and now it is trying to destroy the country with drugs," he alleged.

The Union Minister, along with Minister of State for Health Santosh Chaudhary and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, inaugurated a free dispensary at a mother and child care centre, Government Medical College here. He said under a central scheme, 450 kinds of drugs would be provided to patients free of cost. Of these, 150 were meant for treating cancer.

On the country's economy, he said the downturn was a world-wide phenomenon. He claimed the situation would begin to improve soon. Anuradha Gupta, director, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), said institutional deliveries had increased because of various government schemes. "The Union Government has sanctioned six mother and child care institutions to cater to the rush," she added. The Chief Minister said the Centre should introduce a health security Bill. Talking about the drug menace in the state, he blamed the Border Security Force for failing to check drug peddlers.He requested the Union Minister to intervene for a ban on the sale of poppy husk in Rajasthan. "Poppy husk is being openly sold in Rajasthan from where it is smuggled into Punjab," he said.