Cancer centre to serve two states for now

Cancer centre to serve two states for now

The 250-bed MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre has been designated as the apex state cancer institute to serve the needs of thousands of patients from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, till the latter creates its own facility to handle cancer patients.

The hospital was earlier the regional cancer institute of united AP, but a new GO issued by the state government says it will serve people from both regions.

According to the GO, authorities at the MNJ cancer hospital and Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (Nims) have been directed to explore the possibility of relocating some departments to Nims, Bibinagar campus, in view of space constraint.

A proposal to increase the bed strength from 250 to 450 at MNJ has also been pending for a long time now.

"The existing infrastructure is not sufficient. To upgrade the facility, MNJ has been designated as an apex institute. This will open up avenues for tapping more funds from the Centre and other sources," said Dr T Kannan, director at the MNJ cancer hospital.

He added that the facility will continue to cater to the needs of patients from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh till the time a well-equipped comprehensive cancer care facility is established in Andhra Pradesh.

Officials said they were exploring the possibility of relocating some of the departments to Bibinagar campus of Nims. "We have plans to shift some stand-alone departments to the Bibinagar Nims because there is space constraint here," added Dr Kannan. He further said that even the building that is under construction at the existing premises at Red Hills will not be sufficient to cater to the heavy case load.

The institute is not only catering to the needs of the patients of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh but those from neighbouring states.

Even patients from countries like Nigeria have undergone treatment at this institute. According to officials, more than 10,000 new cancer patients are registered annually at MNJ and more than 1.10 lakh patients come for follow-up treatment every year. The hospital performs 1,500 major 1,000 minor surgeries annually.