Telangana: People in districts to avail chemotherapy

♦    MNJ Cancer Hospital director Dr N Jayalatha says district centres will not only help provide better treatment to patients, but also decrease case load on MNJ.

♦    The centres would be attached to the teaching hospitals; MNJ doctors will train the doctors there. Already the training of doctors has been completed; if there is any issue, the MNJ staff will assist them, said Jayalatha

Hyderabad: With the rising cancer cases in State districts, the Health department, along with the National Health Mission, has decided to provide chemotherapy facilities in districts, after the initial chemo done at the MNJ Hospital in the city.

The National Health Mission has shortlisted five districts in the State for the follow- up chemotherapy-- Nizamabad, Siddipet, Adilabad, Khammam and Mahbubnagar.

According to officials, these districts have been selected based on the high number of cancer cases. It may be mentioned here that the Health department had taken up mobile cancer screening in the districts. In the random screening, authorities noticed alarming cancer cases. According to a study, Telangana is likely to have over 53,000 cancer patients, including 24,857 men and 28,708 women patients by 2025. The most common of these were breast, cervical cancer among women and mouth cancer in men.

Cancer treatment is a costly affair; according to doctors each session of chemo costs Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh, depending on medicines. The patient has to undergo 12 cycles (sessions) of chemotherapy; the cost depends on the type of medicine required for the patient. Injections and medicines will also be supplied by the NHM, said a senior official.

Officials said the five cancer centres would be started on an experimental basis. The initial chemotherapy will be done at the MNJ Hospital; the follow-up therapies would be done at these centres.

The official said the State government has been focusing on cancer treatment. Recently, a new facility with 300 beds at Red Hills was inaugurated by Health Minister T Harish Rao. With this 750 beds are available for cancer treatment. MNJ Cancer Hospital director Dr N Jayalatha said the district centres would not only help provide better treatment to patients, but also decrease case load on MNJ. These centres would be attached to the teaching hospitals; MNJ doctors would train the doctors there. Already the training of doctors has been completed; if there is any issue, the MNJ staff would assist them, said Jayalatha.