GULBARGA: Medical Education Minister V.S. Acharya has said the State Government will soon take a decision on developing the Peripheral Cancer Centre here and filling its vacant doctor's posts.

Dr. Acharya told presspersons here on Saturday that he would hold a high-level meeting on Sunday with senior officials of the Medical Education Department, including the secretary, the director, and Director of the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Cancer Dr. Bapsy, in Gulbarga to review the problems faced by the centre.

He would also visit the centre to assess the situation first-hand.

Experts from outside

He said the Government proposed to request the services of oncology experts from bigger centres in other cities as visiting doctors until the posts were filled. The Government was finding it difficult to get oncology experts to fill vacancies at the centre, he said.

Change of hands

Dr. Acharya said the Government was considering taking away the responsibility of maintaining and operating the centre from the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Cancer and handing it over to the District Hospital, as the institute was not able to fill the vacancies.

It was also considering, as a "last option", having a private organisation run the centre, he said. One organisation had already come forward with a proposal in this regard, he added.

Dr. Acharya said the Government had faced similar problems with regard to the Peripheral Cancer Centre in Mandya.

It had decided to attach the hospital to the new Government Medical College there to ensure that it had enough radiologists, pathologists and skilled technicians to attend to cancer patients.

Dr. Acharya said the Government also proposed to request the services of radiology experts from the Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College as guest doctors on an honorary basis at the Peripheral Cancer Centre here, to fill the vacancies.

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