The State government is contemplating launching regional centres to provide medical facilities to cancer patients in the State. The Centres are likely to come up in cities such as Vijayawada, Guntur, Visakhapatnam, Kurnool and Tirupati, according to noted oncologist Nori Dattatreyudu.
Krishna University felicitated Dr. Dattatreyudu, world renowned oncologist and Padmasri awardee, in recognition of his services in the field of oncology, at a programme at Machilipatnam on Tuesday.
On its sidelines, speaking to The Hindu , Dr. Dattatreyudu said that the facilities available at Hyderabad to treat cancer patients were not sufficient. So, the government was asked to open regional centres so that the patients need not go to Hyderabad all the way, he said, adding, “Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has responded positively to the suggestion. He is very happy.”
The research in the field of cancer was good in cities like Mumbai and Delhi. But, Andhra Pradesh needs to go a long way. So, the Research and Development (R&D) would form one of the components of the proposed regional centres. The medical colleges would also have to lay emphasis on research apart from treating patients, he said.
Already a road map has been submitted to the State government. The modalities are being worked out. The government would take a call on whether the project should be solely a State initiative or take up under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. But, the top priority was to make sure that cancer care was accessible, affordable and available to everyone, he said.
It appears that the cancer incidence rate has gone up in the country. Many people were coming forward to undergo treatment. It could be one of the reasons. Lifestyles in India were fast changing. Many young Indians are falling prey to bad habits such as smoking and gutka chewing. It was also leading to rise in cancer cases, he explained.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has responded positively to the suggestion of setting up regional centres
Nori Dattatreyudu
Oncologist
