Government moots Cancer Centres at VSS, MKCG

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has proposed to the Centre for establishment of tertiary cancer care (TCC) units at the VSS Medical College and Hospital (MCH), Burla, and the MKCG MCH, Berhampur. The centres would not only address a lot of problems of patients from western and southern Odisha districts by making cancer care and treatment available nearer to their homes but also lessen the burden on the Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre (AHRCC) in Cuttack to a large extent. The AHRCC is also in the process of being announced a TCC centre by the Centre. Once approved, the Central Government will provide ` 6 crore under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) to each of the MCHs for creating facilities and procuring equipment for the TCC units. The TCC units are envisaged to function with 30 beds each having specialised wings in Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Gynaec-oncology to start with. The Government has also proposed setting up of a 30-bed Regional Geriatric Centre which will cater to the needs of the elderly in the Western Odisha districts, Health Minister Prasanna Acharya said on Tuesday. The Minister inaugurated the Non- communicable Diseases (NCD) Cell in the Directorate of Public Health to monitor the implementation of the NPCDCS and National Programme for Health Care to Elderly (NPHCE) in the districts of Nuapada, Balangir, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur. The rest of the districts are to be brought under the two programmes during the 12th Plan period. Steps have been taken to operationalise NCD clinics  at district headquarters hospitals (DHHs), where patients referred from the peripheral hospitals, would be provided with specialised treatment for cardiac diseases, hypertension, diabetes and stroke. Free drugs would also be provided to the patients for which ` 51 lakh has already been sanctioned to five DHHs in the five districts. The process for procurement of diagnostic equipment for the NCD clinics and Cardiac Care Centres at the DHHs is on, nodal officer, NPCDCS, Dr PKB Patnaik said.