Visakhapatnam: Ruling TDP MLA Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar today said the Andhra Pradesh government is committed to provide quality healthcare to people, particularly the poor.
Flagging off the ‘gold walk’ for child cancer awareness campaign at Ramakrishna beach here today, Ganesh Kumar said the state government has been spending Rs 500 crore every year to provide medical expenses for the poor people through the NTR Vaidya Vidhana Parishad.
During 2015-16, the state government had spent nearly Rs 800 crore on healthcare of the poor people.
He said the lives of innocent children can be saved by early detection of cancer.
Kumar said the government has decided to establish a big cancer hospital in the state on the lines of NTR Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital in Hyderabad.
According to a local NGO, in India every year about 50,000 new childhood cancer cases are being registered — 14 out of one lakh boys and 9 out of one lakh girls are diagnosed with cancer.
Nearly 70 per cent kids die due to lack of awareness, late detection and late diagnosis of the disease, it said.
Despite the drizzle, a large number of residents from the city took part in the rally.
PTI