Cuttack, Jan. 8: After eggs, it's black flags.

Health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak is bearing a lot of the brunt of the protests by Congress workers in the state.

The agitating Congress workers today held black flags as the minister entered the Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre here to attend a meeting of the hospital's governing body.

The Congress activists managed to dodge tight security measures and waylaid the minister who had arrived in a private vehicle of Barabati-Cuttack MLA Debasish Samantray.

Three Congress activists were taken into custody near the main entrance of the hospital following the incident.

Earlier in the day, police had detained five Congress supporters near Malgodown as a preventive measure.

Samantray criticised the Congress activists' action.

"Such opposition should be criticised as the health minister had not come to Cuttack for any political programme, but to attend a meeting of the governing body of the cancer centre," he said.

Nayak later inaugurated the computerised system for the indoor and outpatient departments of the cancer centre.

The computerised registration system will now pave way for an online ticket registration process, where patients seeking medical facilities and treatment at the hospital can register themselves.

The air-conditioned computerised registration block is equipped with basic facilities for the patients.

"A number of important proposals have been approved at the governing body meeting today, including proposals for having a new academy block at the hospital," said Nayak.

Senior officials said that the new academy block would also house outdoor and other critical medical services, including a six-bed intensive care unit.

Nayak said that there was also a plan for an additional 150 beds at the new block that would be constructed at a cost of Rs 20 crore.

The chief architect has been appointed to prepare the necessary designs.

The district collector has also been asked to identify land for the proposed second campus of the hospital on the outskirts of the city.

Besides, it was decided in the meeting that adequate measures would be taken to ensure that patients undergoing treatment at the cancer centre were provided free chemotherapy drugs.

The state government has been providing 60 medicines for free to patients undergoing treatment at the hospital.

"We are also planning to improve the facilities at the various district headquarters hospitals, so that cancer patients can be screened and provided necessary treatment at the respective districts as well," said Nayak.