Chemotherapy facility in 25 more Kerala govt hospitals

In a move that will immensely benefit cancer patients, the Kerala  health department has launched chemotherapy facilities in 25 more government hospitals in the state.

Thiruvanathapuram: In a move that will immensely benefit cancer patients, the health department has launched chemotherapy facilities in 25 more government hospitals in the state.

Government hospitals in Nedumangad, Kollam, Kozhenchery, Mavelikkara, Kottayam, Thodupuzha, Muvattupuzha, Palakkad, Tirur, Perinthalmanna, Nilambur, Kannur and Thalassery; General Hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Pala, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Thalassery and Kanhanhad; taluk hospitals in Punalur, Vadakkancherry and Ottapalam; Beach hospital in Kozhikode and Nalloornadu tribal hospital in Wayanad will offer the facility, which has arranged with the support of medical colleges, Regional Cancer Centre, Malabar Cancer Centreand Cochin Cancer Centre. Health Minister Veena George said the state government was planning to start the facility in more hospitals.

The health department started follow-up cancer treatment in more centres during Covid so that people with low immunity did not have to go to faraway hospitals, Veena said. The government plans a decentralised treatment by forming a cancer care grid by incorporating cancer centres, MCHs, district and taluk hospitals.

From May, it started cancer screening in every government hospital once in a week. Cancer awareness and door to door visits are part of the decentralised approach. It resulted in identifying 4,972 new patients in two months.