Guwahati Medical College to get cancer
facility soon
All eyes are on Gauhati
Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) as the premier healthcare institute of the
state is set to add a top-notch cancer care facility to provide the best cure
at the lowest cost.
The institute has recently
acquired a hi-tech linear accelerator from the United Kingdom to fill the
vacuum in low-cost radiotherapy.
According to estimates,
the state needs at least 35 radiotherapy units. At present, there are just 11.
Superintendent of GMCH, R
Talukdar, said, "The process of setting up the cancer unit is progressing
well."
A source said the linear
accelerator, which is the mainstay of any cancer hospital as it provides
radiotherapy, has to be tested and commissioned for operation. Before that, the
government has to appoint a qualified radiotherapist as it is a mandatory
prerequisite for the Atomic Energy Commission to grant permission for
commissioning the machine.
The source pointed out
that 80% of cancer patients in the state are poor and cannot afford the high
cost of radiotherapy at private hospitals, which usually runs beyond a lakh.
"The cost is expected
to be reduced to Rs 10,000 if GMCH comes up with the facility," the source
said. Hundreds of poor cancer patients stop treatment for lack of money.
"At the oncology
department of GMCH, only diagnosis can be done. Chemotherapy can also be given
with the help of hematologists. With the radiotherapy facility coming up soon,
the state's cancer treatment scene is set to improve drastically," the
source said.
The cancer hospital will
have 200 beds and three departments - medical oncology, surgical oncology and
radiation oncology. Medical oncology mainly deals with the treatment of cancer
with drugs. Surgical oncology mainly deals with cancer of the breast, bone,
uterus and kidney. Radiation oncology refers to treatment through radiotherapy.
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