RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday called for extending public support to the healthcare system particularly the cancer treatment for marginally poor sections of the society.

Inaugurating the National Cancer Institute (NCI) here, Bhagwat said though the Institute has come up with latest of equipments and modern treatment facility, he hoped the NCI will live up to the expectations of the cancer patients and their family members.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah was likely to attend the event in Nagpur, but he could not make it due to pressing engagements in Delhi.

The RSS chief said, though cancer is a big problem and a major health issue but needs to be tackled by moral support and effectively through medicine with dedicated treatment by a world-class facility like the NCI.

Union Minister for Road Transport, Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is the brain behind the cancer hospital, were also present on the occasion.

Bhagwat said the NCI was a dream come true for Fadnavis and his colleague Shailesh Joglekar who lost one family member respectively and were persuaded to set up a facility like Tata Cancer Hospital in Mumbai.

Expressing his happiness, he said it has the best of the facility for treatment and hopes more people will join hands with open hearted contributions and assistance in maintaining and expanding facilities.

"The onus of sustainability lies with the people to keep the hope alive for a better treatment. The task is difficult to minimise the cost of treatment for a major section of society who are poor," he added. He described the entire project as a dedicated work of Sangh swayamsevak.

Gadkari in his speech called for a need of a collaboration with American Cancer Institute for more modern and latest advancement in treating cancer. He said there was a reduction of 33 per cent death rate in cases of cancer in America. During his tenure as Shipping and Ports Minister, he had extended support to Tata Cancer Hospital in allocating a port Trust building in Mumbai which is now used for paediatric patients, he added.

Shinde said a similar cancer hospital is coming up in Thane where the infrastructure is ready. He called on cancer patients to take benefits of CM's fund and other state government healthcare funding schemes. He called for accessible and affordable treatment of cancer.

Fadnavis said the NCI will soon have a blood related disease treatment for Thalassemia and Sickle Cell, which is found in Eastern Vidarbha. [IANS/JS]