The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : New hospital for cancer treatment launched

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Saturday, Jul 18, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

New hospital for cancer treatment launched

Staff Reporter

‘Nobody will be turned away because he has no money’

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Laudable initiative: Chairman of Narayana Hrudayalaya Devi Prasad Shetty and chairperson and managing director of Biocon Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw at the launch of the cancer care centre in Bangalore on Friday.

Bangalore: Making cancer care affordable and subsidised to the poor, Narayana Hrudayalaya formally launched a cancer treatment facility — Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Centre — on its Health City campus here on Friday.

The 1,400-bed facility is slated to be one of the world’s largest cancer hospitals, with particular focus on head and neck cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer.

Announcing the launch, Devi Prasad Shetty, chairman of Narayana Hrudayalaya, told presspersons that all beneficiaries of the State Government’s Yeshaswini health scheme could also avail themselves of treatment here.

Pointing out that cancer was the most common cause of death after cardiovascular disease, Dr. Shetty said: “Unfortunately, cancer is detected at a late stage, significantly increasing the mortality of the patient.

To add to the woes of the patients, cancer treatment is extremely expensive. With this hospital, we aim to address this problem of economics and ensure immediate, effective and most importantly affordable treatment to every patient who walks into the hospital. Nobody will be turned away because he has no money.”

“We will compete with government hospitals in terms of treatment costs. If required, the patient will be treated for free,” he said.

Replying to questions, he said it would not be difficult to provide subsidised treatment to cancer patients because unlike in cardiac care the recurrent cost is less in cancer treatment. “In cardiac care, we spend a lot on implants. But it is not the case in cancer care,” he explained.

The hospital was set up with the active support of Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and was hence named after her. It started functioning two weeks ago and 500 of the 1,400 beds had been commissioned so far. “Our specialist doctors have already treated a few hundred patients in the last two weeks,” Dr. Shetty said.

Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw, who said she was involved with the project in her personal capacity because she had seen her dear ones suffer with cancer, asserted that the existing outlook to treat cancer was not enough to combat the disease.

“We need a much more comprehensive, research-based treatment protocol,” she said.

A cancer helpline was also launched.

Any patient suspected or diagnosed with cancer can call either (080) 2215 2020 or 96866-00986 for queries or appointment with the hospital.

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