The State-run Cama and Albless Hospital, the city’s only mother and child hospital, is looking at expanding its radiotherapy services for cancer patients. While there is a proposal to install a second linear accelerator machine, the hospital also hopes to get experts from the Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) to offer holistic cancer care.
At present, the hospital caters to nearly 70 patients requiring targeted radiotherapy in a day. “Of these, 40% are patients coming from the four State-run hospitals — Cama and Albless, GT, St. George and JJ — nearly 40% patients are referred from TMH, while the remaining 20% patients are referred from other medical institutions. With a second machine, we hope to increase our capacity to double,” said Dr. Mahesh Rewadkar, head of the radiotherapy department at the hospital.
Dr. Rewadkar said the average waiting period for patients is seven days and the hospital is the only one to have the most upgraded version of the treatment planning system, which helps them to offer most accurately targetted radiation. Patients who require brachytherapy, a form of internal radiation, are currently referred to TMH or the civic-run Nair Hospital. The hospital has three radiation oncologists and three onco-surgeons currently. “If we can get help from medical oncologists from TMH, we can become a cancer speciality gradually,” said Dr. Ameeta Joshi, medical superintendent at the hospital. “The idea is to use our services optimally and help in decongestion of TMH as well,” she said, adding that once streamlined, the oncology services may also be opened for male patients.
The 530-bed hospital started radiotherapy services in 2013. In June 2017, the facility was shut down due to many hiccups. The facility was re-opened in May this year with the upgraded treatment planning system.
Dr. Prakash Wakode, joint director of Directorate of Medical Education and Research, said talks were on between State authorities and TMH. “Not only in Cama, but we are also looking at getting expertise from TMH in many of our hospitals. But they have their own patient load and so the arrangement is taking time to be finalised.”
