Cochin Cancer Research Centre head yet to take charge

KOCHI: Over three months after he was appointed director of the Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC), Dr Moni Abraham Kuriakose, Professor and director of the department of surgical oncology and Chief of Head and Neck Oncology Services at Mazumdar-Shaw Medical Center of Narayana Hrudayalaya Health City, Bengaluru, is yet to take charge of the new post. His appointment order from the Health Department came early last November and he had sought two months to take charge after settling commitments in the job he was holding, following which he was expected to take charge at least by early February. But even as February is coming to a close, there is no sign of Dr Moni taking charge, leaving the fledgling institution and its staff high and dry. Dr Moni was unavailable for comments on Sunday, despite repeated attempts.

CCRC is entering a crucial phase with INKEL undertaking the preparatory work on the project while the construction work is set to begin from March 15. A director at the helm of CCRC now will be able to give a clear direction for the project which unfortunately is being given  step-motherly treatment by its mentor, the Regional Cancer Centre and its director Dr Paul Sebastian. The RCC director gave an adverse report to the government when the CCRC recently sought permission to start a speech and swallow clinic there.  Following this, the Health Department denied permission to start it. Now the CCRC special officer and District Collector Muhammed K. Safirulla is taking up the case with health additional chief secretary Rajeev Sadanandan after a pain and palliative care NGO Thanal took up the case with him.

Interestingly, RCC is still to have a speech and swallow clinic which is for patients having cancer of the larynx and who have undergone surgery and radiotherapy. The clinic assists in the process of swallowing with various techniques also. It is also being pointed out that when former Health Secretary Dr Elangovan had asked RCC director Dr Paul Sebastian to prepare a project  report for CCRC, Dr Paul proposed a 50-bed centre which could be a satellite centre for RCC. Dr Elangovan rejected this report and then it was handed over to the Central Government owned HSCC which later came to INKEL. Today CCRC is conceived as 373 bed hospital at a cost of Rs 395 crore.