Interacting with the mediapersons after inaugurating the cancer therapy radiation block at the Grecian Hospital, the minister said, “While the hospital at Bathinda would be an extension of the Bathinda Civil Hospital, in Mohali we are looking for a separate land as the civil hospital here is very small and the extension would not be possible.”

Chawla added that the hospitals would be run on the Public-Private partnership model, but some beds would be reserved to provide treatment at the rates charged by the PGI Chandigarh. “We will get the land at Bathinda on a 99 years lease, while the hospital site in Mohali has not been identified yet,” she said.

Meanwhile, the minister inaugurated a radiation block at the Grecian Hospital today that will house a Varian Linear Accelerator. “The Varian Linear Accelerator, which is the most advanced radiation therapy unit for cancer has been set up to catapult the cancer treatment and therapy standards in the region. It will reduce the need to undergo costly treatment in super specialty hospitals in New Delhi or the rest of India,” said managing director of the hospital, Dr Shivpreet Singh Samra.

Member of Parliament from Hoshiarpur, Avinash Rai Khanna, was also present on the occasion.