Shimla, Oct 25 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said Saturday that the government was considering opening a full-fledged cancer hospital in the suburbs of the capital.

He said that the cancer wing functioning at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMCH) in Shimla was not fully developed to cater to the rush of patients.

A mammography machine is going to be installed in the hospital very soon.

Lauding the decision of NGO Almighty Blessings to start free canteen services for cancer patients at IGMCH, the chief minister appealed to the people to come forward and participate in this noble gesture.

He said around 165 'bighas' of land have been identified on the outskirts of the city for the second campus of IGMCH.

The Kamla Nehru hospital here would have a separate mother-child wing, he added.

"The government will endeavour to strengthen the health infrastructure in the state and ensure postings of doctors in hospitals located in far flung and remote areas," he added.