Mahavir Cancer Sansthan launched a terminal care wing dedicated to last stage cancer patients at the hospital on its 16th foundation day on Friday.

Speaking about the new facility, the hospital's acting director, Dr Manisha Singh, said: 'Cancer patients in the final stage are usually asked to go back home on reaching any hospital. The terminal care wing, fully equipped with suction machine and oxygen pipeline among other facilities, would look after such patients.'

Patna High Court judge Samrendra Pratap Singh, retired judge P.K. Sinha, Dr Manisha Singh and hospital superintendent Dr L.B. Singh were present at the programme.

The hospital director said more than 50 per cent of the patients, whom Mahavir Cancer Sansthan receives every year, are those in the advanced stage of the disease, which prompted the hospital to come up with the facility. 'At present, we get 250-300 patients for chemotherapy everyday. No other hospital in the state provides this facility at such a big extent at this moment,' said Dr Manisha.

Hailing Mahavir Cancer Sansthan for starting the new facility, Justice Samrendra Pratap Singh said: 'This healthcare institution stands second in the country after Tata Memorial Hospital as far as cancer treatment is concerned. That is something we can proud of.'

Hospital superintendent Dr L.B. Singh elucidated the upcoming facilities in the hospital. 'At present, two buildings are under construction on the hospital campus. We have space constraint, as we get patients more than our capacity. But once the two buildings get ready, we would be able to take up more cases. We plan to start our nuclear medicine department in the one of the two new buildings. The nuclear medicine department would help the treatment of thyroid cancer. We also plan to install magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scan machine in the new buildings,' said the superintendent.