Kerala: Mini cancer centres still a non-starter
At the moment four medical colleges have Cobalt units and three have linear accelerators.
Thiruvananthapuram: The work on converting the existing radiotherapy departments of government medical college hospitals in the state into mini cancer centres moving at a slow pace even as the number of cancer patients is growing by the day. Of the five medical colleges where the existing radiotherapy departments were to be converted into comprehensive cancer care centres, only some are fully equipped with state of the art treatment facilities like linear accelerators and cobalt units.
“There is a need to improve the diagnostic and treatment facilities. At the moment solid tumours are being treated by radiotherapy. In many cases surgery and chemotherapy are also required,” said a doctor. At the moment four medical colleges have Cobalt units and three have linear accelerators. Once linear accelerators are installed then the patient load will have to be increased in these institutions to utilise these the state of the art equipment to full capacity.
The faculty strength also needs to be doubled in Trivandrum, Kozhikode, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Thrissur. Even nuclear medicine which is crucial for treating thyroid, goitre, cancer thyroid have to be developed in these hospitals. Separate medical oncology departments fully equipped with latest treatment modalities and facilities for proper diagnosis of cancers through pathology, radio diagnosis and imaging and nuclear medicine are needed.
While Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram medical colleges’ cancer care wings receive 5000 and 3000 patients which according to doctors, is an alarming sign.annually, other medical colleges account for 1500 to 2000 patients. According to estimates, there are more than 2.5 lakh cancer patients in the state and each year 55,000 people are being detected with various types of cancers. RCC and Malabar Cancer Centre are unable to cater to the patient rush.
Experts say cancers of the breast, thyroid, prostate ovaries are increasing if the cases coming to RCC and other centres are any indication. Moreover, more than 100 new cancer patients are being detected in hospitals across the state. Breast cancer is also on the rise and now found even among very young women. The age of women with breast cancer has come down from 45 to 25.