“When compared to the demand, there are very few surgical oncologists in the country. Currently, the doctor-patient gap is quite large and will take a few years to fill,” said V. Shanta, chairperson of Cancer Institute (WIA).
Speaking to the press ahead of a national conference on surgical oncology, organised by the Indian Association of Surgical Oncology, she said, currently, even though there is a demand for the speciality, there are only a few seats available, since the speciality required one teacher for every student. Work is currently on to build capacity in the field, she added.
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Through the conference, with a series of debates and interactive sessions, the team will focus on creating an interest amongst students to take up surgical oncology. A number of videos of surgeries that have been performed would also be screened, vice-chairman of Cancer Insitute, E. Hemanth Raj, said.
“There are currently around 250 surgical oncologists in the country, but there is a need for many more. With around 90 seats for MCH and through the national board for surgical oncology, there are several options available in the country,” he said.
The conference will start on Thursday with continuing medical education sessions on a range of topics. Following this, there will be a three-day programme from September 19 to 21, with around 20 experts from abroad and over 100 from across India participating, a release said.
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