Manipal Health Care group will give priority to its Vijayawada hospital. A state-of-the-art linear accelerator, used for cancer treatment, which was installed at the group’s main hospital in Bangalore recently, has been installed at its hospital in the city in the first phase.
Manipal Hospitals managing director and CEO Dr. Ajay Bakshi inaugurated of the new liner accelerator. Speaking to The Hindu, Dr. Bakshi said cancer would not only be the biggest killer, but it would be the disease that would maim the maximum number of patients in future.
The Manipal Group of Hospitals is gearing up to deal with cancer which has already reached epidemic proportions. It is installing the latest linear accelerators at its hospitals in Goa and Manipal in the second phase, he said.
Cancer detectionsGiving statistics to explain the severity of the problem, Dr Bakshi said there were only 4 lakh detections of cancer cases in the country.
“If the health systems of developed countries were in place in India the number of cases detected would be 50 times (200 lakh cases) more,” he added.
Dr Bakshi said that Manipal Hospitals, which was started in 1953, had the advantage of being the “oldest” health care group in the country. In six decades, the group could establish a reputation for being ethical and patient friendly.
“The group has a strong medical training institution to back it up. A good team of doctors is necessary for oncology. Besides, a surgeon, medical and radiological oncologists were needed. Oncology is the new cardiology,” he said.
The linear accelerator that was developed at a cost of Rs. 15 crore will be inaugurated by Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas on Tuesday evening.
