Patna: Health minister Mangal Pandey on Saturday announced that the state government will hike funds meant for cancer patients' treatment from Rs 80,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

Cancer patients from below poverty line (BPL) families are now given Rs 80,000 from Mukhya Mantri Chikitsa Sahayta Kosh (Chief Minister's Medical Relief Fund).

Pandey also announced that bone marrow patients could avail Rs 5 lakh financial assistance from the government. No monetary help is given to bone marrow patients now. Pandey made these announcements during a programme organised by Mahavir Cancer Sansthan on Saturday to mark World Cancer Day, which falls on February 4.

Pandey inaugurated a frozen section machine, which is used during oncological surgeries to detect whether or not further surgeries are needed on a cancer patient or not. "Usually, aggressive surgery is performed only if there is a chance to cure the patient," said Sansthan superintendent L.B. Singh. "If the tumour has spread to the other body parts, surgery is usually not curative, and the surgeon will choose a more conservative surgery, or no resection at all. The frozen section machine quickly gives overview on further surgery has is required or not."

Singh said the state government had given funds to the hospital for development of a 100-bed hospice that would mainly give palliative care to last-stage cancer patients. He said the hospital would soon start bone marrow transplant facility as well.

Sansthan associate director Manisha Singh said the hospital had seen 25,000 new cancer patients last year apart from old patients.

Hospital additional director MWA Anjum and radiotherapy department head Vineeta Trivedi were among others present.