The District Cancer Society (DCS) will conduct a survey of cancer patients in the district, according to District Collector P. Venugopal.
Mr. Venugopal said the decision was taken at a society meeting held here on Saturday against the backdrop of certain reports on the increase in the number of cancer patients in the district.
Addressing the meeting, K. Sivadasan Nair, MLA, said cancer patients deserved support and compassion and society should initiate necessary measures to extend all possible support to them. He said the DCS had been providing praiseworthy service in the field of palliative care in the district.
The meeting decided to facilitate National Rural Health Mission funding for improving the functioning of the District Cancer Centre, Kozhencherry.
Mr. Venugopal said steps would also be taken to purchase drugs for the cancer centre through the Kerala State Medical Services Corporation and that centre director K.G. Sasidharan Pillai would submit a request in this regard to the district medical officer soon.
Dr. Pillai said the meeting had decided to purchase a new ultra-sound scanning machine for the District Cancer Centre.
The DSC would provide treatment relief worth Rs.25,000 to C.C. Babu, former society secretary, besides relief worth Rs.10,000 each to 15 cancer patients, said Dr. Pillai.
H. Salimraj, Additional District Magistrate; P.K. Devanand, District Planning Officer; Laila Divakar, District Medical Officer and P.N. Vidyadharan, NRHM district co-ordinator, also attended the meeting.
