Kurnool: Cancer cases are rising steadily but the work on the state cancer institute here is dragging for the past four years. No one is serious about completing the project and one-third of the work is still pending.
It takes more time to complete the construction followed by the process of installation of modern equipment to support patient-care.
The state-level cancer institute was conceived as a joint project of the state and central governments, with its base in the Rayalaseema region. With an estimated budget of around Rs 120 crore, the foundation was laid in January 2019 and Rs 90 crore was sanctioned for the works. The Centre’s share was 56 per cent and the state’s 36 per cent.
The project is constructed under the national programme for prevention and control of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and stroke (NPCDCS). Some 9.5 acres of land was set apart for the facility in the Government General Hospital premises and the construction was taken up by AP medical services and infrastructure development corporation.
The initial plan was to complete the institute with a bed capacity of 200 within 13 months. In four years, some 60-65 per cent of the civil works have been completed. Once ready, the hospital would serve the cancer patients from Rayalaseema districts, Mahboobunagar, Wanaparthy, Gadwal in Telangana and nearby districts of Karnataka.
An official from the Kurnool General Hospital said the Covid pandemic affected the construction works. A major portion of the construction is over and the next phase would see installation of sophisticated equipment such as linear accelerators etc that would require to be imported from the US, Germany etc for treatment of the cancer cases on modern lines.
The Tata Cancer Hospital, Mumbai, under the Department of Atomic Energy is providing the technical support for installation of the equipment and their maintenance. The state government has filled the vacant posts such as surgical oncologist, and deputed staff for running departments such as Computed Tomography (CT), Ultrasound, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan, Bronchi Therapy, linear accelerator, ICU etc.
“The state government plans to have two regional centres under the NPCDCS. One is the cancer-care facility at SVIMS, Tirupati, and the other is to be readied in Kurnool for advanced cancer treatment,” said Dr Prabhakar Reddy, deputy superintendent of GGH, Kurnool.
Family member of a cancer patient, Ramana Reddy from Kodumuru, lamented. “We are incurring a huge amount for treatment now. Fast completion of the institute would be of help to the local communities." A cancer wing in the GGH is currently serving the patients.
