The Hindu : Karnataka News : Radiation therapists' meet begins in Manipal

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Sunday, Dec 05, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Others

Radiation therapists' meet begins in Manipal

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANIPAL, DEC. 4. Gurwinder S. Wadhwan, president of the Association of Radiation Therapy Technologists of India, on Saturday said the association was conducting training programmes for students in association with the Department of Atomic Energy. He was speaking at the inauguration of the eighth national conference of the association organised by the Department of Radiology and Oncology, Kasturba Medical College, here.

Mr. Wadhwan said it was essential for technologists to update their knowledge. Scientific deliberations were beneficial to participants as well as the delegates, he said.

D.P. Saraswat, Chief Operating Officer of Kasturba Medical College Hospital, Attavar, Mangalore, said many technical developments had taken place in the field of radiology. But the new techniques were expensive. It was difficult for the Government to set up a radiotherapy centre as it was capital intensive. This, in addition with recurring costs, made radiotherapy expensive for the common man, he said. While some patients could pay more money for advanced facilities, the interests of the common man had to be protected, he added.

Alternative mechanism

Hence, it had become essential to develop an alternative mechanism to finance hospitals and centres providing radiotherapy services, Dr. Saraswat said. One way of doing this was by starting public-private ventures involving the Government and private hospitals. He noted that presently, insurance products were not tailored to meet the needs of cancer patients. A practical and easily executable insurance product was necessary to ensure cost effective delivery, Dr. Saraswat said.

Sripati Rao, Chief Operating Officer of Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, who inaugurated the conference, said the use of ionising radiation in many applications, particularly medicine, had brought in its wake the need to exercise regulatory control to ensure safety to the user. The past few decades had seen a revolution in the field of radiotherapy technology with a profound effect on principles and practices of radiotherapy, he said.

Vidyasagar welcomed the gathering. Sridhar, secretary of the association, presented a report. Sanjeeva Sherigar, organising secretary of the conference, proposed a vote of thanks.

Dinesh Pai Kasturi, was present.

Lakshmi P.S. Iyer, Technical Director, Department of Radiation Oncology, Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Sankara Hospital, Chennai, was felicitated on the occasion.

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