Rs 15 crore boost for Cochin Cancer Research Centre

KOCHI: The Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC) has received a major boost with the government sanctioning Rs 15 crore for it. This was decided at meeting of the special working group for finance comprising additional chief secretary Manoj Joshi and principal secretary (health) Rajan Khobragade in the state capital on Thursday.

 The money can be used for current operations, including infrastructure development, equipment purchase, maintenance and salary. The meeting also finalised the list of equipment to be purchased for immediate use.
These include ECG machine (Rs 1.50 lakh), Tru cut biopsy gun magnum machine (Rs 2 lakh), infusion pump (Rs 7.50 lakh), multi-para monitor (Rs 2 lakh), ABG machine (Rs 8 lakh), harmonic scalpel (Rs 20 lakh), intraoperative nerve monitoring machine (Rs 16 lakh), motorised stirrups (Rs 7 lakh), automated histopathology stainer (Rs 22 lakh), automated coagulation analyser (Rs 20 lakh), laparoscopic system with instruments (Rs 1.25 crore), mucosal debrider with drill (Rs 19 lakh), anaesthesia equipment and instruments (Rs 50 lakh) and embedding station (Rs 10 lakh). The total cost for the hospital equipment will come to Rs 6.76 crore.

A sum of Rs 6.14 crore has been set apart for recurring salary and allowances. For purchase of medicines, Rs 75 lakh has been set apart.  A sum of Rs 15 lakh has been given for hospital software, which comes under recurring expense. While ambulance has been allotted Rs 25 lakh, a sum of Rs 23 lakh has been set apart for office vehicles.

The clearance for the amount comes at a time when the CCRC has been readying to open its limited in-patient facility after the necessary testing for the operation theatre granted to it by the Ernakulam Government Medical College.