Kerala   

District hospitals to get cancer care funds

Focus on Ayurveda: Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad laying the foundation stone for the Centre of Excellence for Ayurvedic Pharmaceuticals in India at Oushadhi in Thrissur on Tuesday.

THRISSUR: Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that district hospitals will get funds to access services of health care professionals for treatment of patients suffering from cancer and other non-communicable diseases.

He was addressing a meeting at the Amala Institute of Medical Sciences here on Tuesday to inaugurate a super-specialty block and a linear accelerator (a device used for external beam radiation treatment for cancer patients).

“About 100 patients will be provided Rs.1 lakh each year at the district-level for chemotherapy. Day care facilities will be given to chemotherapy patients so that they can undergo treatment without being admitted to district hospitals. Disease investigation facilities will be strengthened in district hospitals. If required, testing will be outsourced,” he said.

He said the Union Health Ministry would grant Rs.4.8 crore each to 65 tertiary cancer centres in medical colleges and regional cancer centres to improve cancer care. He said the Union government would increase the number of postgraduate (MD) seats by 12,000 within two to three years. The teacher-student ratio had been revised from 1:1 to 1:2 by amending the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations.

Cancer registry soon

Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy said the government was planning to establish a cancer registry in the State.

The registry is designed to collect information about incidence of cancer, types of cancer and a complete summary of patient history, diagnosis and treatment.

“In the absence of properly compiled cancer data, we do not know whether there is a pattern in the incidence of cancer. We also do not know whether there are State-specific high risk factors or high risk behaviour,” she said.

Partnership

She pointed out the importance of public-private partnership in cancer care. “Efforts of the government alone cannot reduce the State's cancer burden.

The community should come together to fight the dreaded disease. There is a paucity of oncologists in government hospitals. Many private hospitals are rendering valuable services in cancer care. They should extend support to public-sector health care institutions,” she added.

Earlier, addressing a meeting at Kuttanellur here on Tuesday to lay the foundation stone for the Centre of Excellence for Ayurvedic Pharmaceuticals in India at the State government-owned Oushadhi, Mr. Azad called for strict quality control standards for production of Ayurvedic drugs.

The Centre is being set up with Rs.5 crore sanctioned by the Union government, Rs. 5 crore by the State government and Rs.6.7 crore drawn from Oushadhi's funds. Construction is likely to be launched in May 2011. It is expected to be completed by May 2012.

He praised the State for maintaining high standards in the practice of Ayurveda. “Kerala has impressive health indicators. It has the lowest infant mortality rate in the country, an achievement comparable to that of many western countries,” he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

National Tulu Festival from January 14
Go shopping
Dawn chorus
Services sought
Today at Sabarimala
Planting ideas
Safety rules
Protest at DMO office
New paddy seed kindles hope for farmers
District hospitals to get cancer care funds
Gooseberry festival on January 12
Rhyme and rhythm
State to set up defence industrial park
Pilgrim caught in Pampa stampede dies

Copyright © 2011, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu