Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas expressed regret over the closure of the Central Government funded Cancer Research Centre at Chinakakani in Guntur district.
Speaking at the “Doctors’ Day Awards” presentation programme conducted by the Roots Health Foundation here on Sunday, Dr Srinivas said that government was spending huge amounts to establish health research institutes, but they were not serving their purpose. Vijayawada would soon have an AIIMS type of institute, but it was up to the people to ensure that such institutes function efficiently.
The Minister was all praise for the Jaya Bharathi Hospital, a private institute in Nellore, that was extending yeoman services. The hospital was only charging Rs. 2 as consultation fee and increased it to Rs20 very recently. “There is no dearth of support for good programmes,” he said.
He lauded the Roots Health Foundation for its awareness programmes on cancer. “Cancer is a bane that mankind has acquired with civilisation. Today we live in the midst of carcinogens. But with early detection of the dreaded disease the morbidity could be checked to a great extent,” Dr Srinivas said.
He said the Andhra Pradesh government would partner with the Association of Breast Surgeons to conduct organised screening for breast cancer in all the districts of Andhra Pradesh.
Association of Breast Surgeons’ president and CEO of Usha Lakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation P. Raghu Ram said that detection of breast cancer was delayed in 60 per cent of the cases. Sharing his experience of working as a breast surgeon in the UK, Dr Ram said that the delay in detection was because there was no organised screening, and because there were no dedicated specialists and centres for breast surgery in the State.
Veteran physician Y. Madhusudhana Rao was given the lifetime achievement award and radiologist T. Rajeswara Rao, dermatologist and venereologist P. Rambabu, plastic surgeon P.M.C. Naidu, diabetogolist S. Ramabrahmam, Ayurvedic physician G.V. Purnachand, former MP Chennupati Vidya, Dr Y. Raja Rao and Lion’s Club member T. Arjuna Rao were given awards for services rendered by them in the field of Health.
Vijayawada Central MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao, East MLA Gadde Ram Mohan, Roots honorary chairman P.V. Ramana Murthy and chairman P.V.S. Vijaya Bhaskar participated in the programme.
