Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who lost his wife to breast cancer, today presided over the ground-breaking for a new RM340 million ringgit cancer research and treatment institute.

At the ceremony to mark the start of work on the National Cancer Institute, Abdullah said the project held special meaning for him, reports Bernama.

"What is important is that we must show understanding and support for cancer patients," Abdullah was quoted as saying.

Abdullah's wife Endon Mahmood ( pix ) died in October 2005 after a long battle with breast cancer, a disease which also killed her twin sister in 2003.

Her death was a blow to Malaysians who admired her 40-year marriage with Abdullah.

The 252-bed institute, located in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, is to be completed in around two years and will be built through private financing.

Overseas training

The centre is aimed at providing quality cancer treatment for Malaysians, and Abdullah said doctors would be sent overseas for training in the latest treatment techniques.

"If need be, the doctors can be sent for intensive training at cancer centres in places like Japan, Europe and the United States," he said.

Health Minister Chua Soi Lek said separately the country would also hire foreign cancer experts to make up for a shortfall of Malaysian doctors.

The country sees some 40,000 cases of cancer annually. The cases account for 9.54 percent of all deaths in government hospitals in 2004, compared to 7.37 percent in 1975.