Kurnool State Cancer Institute not yet fully operational
By : P V PRASAD
Update: 2024-09-16 15:47 GMT
Kurnool: Patient care at the Kurnool State Cancer Institute (KSCI) is not yet optimal as the linear accelerator installed at the hospital at a cost of ₹30 crore is yet to be fully operationalised. Doctors estimate that it will take at least two months before it is fully commissioned for patients.
KSCI had been planned under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS). State government allocated 9.5 acres of land for the facility within the Government General Hospital premises in Kurnool.
Central government had allocated ₹120 crore in 2018 to establish the institute. It made some progress under the previous TDP government with the Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation taking up the construction. However, after the YSRC government took office in 2019, there had been no significant development.
In 2024, the then minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy inaugurated the cancer institute ahead of the elections, despite the absence of essential equipment.
The Kurnool State Cancer Institute currently has one professor, two associate professors, 18 assistant professors and 25 nursing staff. However, due to lack of essential machines for radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the institute is unable to admit patients to its full capacity.
Cancer patients are being treated under suboptimal conditions using the old equipment.
KSCI is currently missing critical equipment, such as a reef machine, MRI, X-ray machine, ultrasound machine, endoscopy equipment, mammogram and pathology labs. Operation theatres are yet to be set up. There is a need for CT scans, MR spectroscopic imaging, and HR statue confirmation units for breast cancer.
A senior official of KSCI said the linear accelerator acquired by the institute is expected to be available within the next two to three months. In the interim, efforts are being made to improve services for cancer patients.
Annually, 3,000 to 4,000 people suffer from cancer and are treated in private hospitals under the Aarogyasri, primarily due to limited services at the cancer unit in Kurnool. Consequently, many cancer patients travel to cities like Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bengaluru, Chennai and Tirupati for treatment.
Central government had allocated ₹120 crore in 2018 to establish the institute. It made some progress under the previous TDP government with the Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation taking up the construction. However, after the YSRC government took office in 2019, there had been no significant development.
In 2024, the then minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy inaugurated the cancer institute ahead of the elections, despite the absence of essential equipment.
The Kurnool State Cancer Institute currently has one professor, two associate professors, 18 assistant professors and 25 nursing staff. However, due to lack of essential machines for radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the institute is unable to admit patients to its full capacity.
Cancer patients are being treated under suboptimal conditions using the old equipment.
KSCI is currently missing critical equipment, such as a reef machine, MRI, X-ray machine, ultrasound machine, endoscopy equipment, mammogram and pathology labs. Operation theatres are yet to be set up. There is a need for CT scans, MR spectroscopic imaging, and HR statue confirmation units for breast cancer.
A senior official of KSCI said the linear accelerator acquired by the institute is expected to be available within the next two to three months. In the interim, efforts are being made to improve services for cancer patients.
Annually, 3,000 to 4,000 people suffer from cancer and are treated in private hospitals under the Aarogyasri, primarily due to limited services at the cancer unit in Kurnool. Consequently, many cancer patients travel to cities like Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bengaluru, Chennai and Tirupati for treatment.