MP: Government Cancer Hospital at Indore lacks modern equipment

INDORE: Despite rising number of cancer cases, the Government Cancer Hospital has been lacking modern equipment for the last few years.

The hospital records show the number of cancer cases has increased at a rate of 10 to 12 per cent per annum in the last few years. The number of new cancer patients remained around 3,900 and 4,200 in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

This year, the number of new cancer cases touched the 4,000 mark on December 7 with around 24 days remaining for the year to end.

The hospital lacks medical linear accelerator and demand for its installation is pending. A medical linear accelerator (LINAC) is the device most commonly used for external beam radiation treatment of cancer patients. It delivers high-energy x-rays or electrons focusing the patient’s tumour.

Hospital superintendent Dr Ramesh Arya said, “LINAC is a modern device helpful in treating cancer by radiation. We have been demanding for it but in vain.”

“Treatment by radiation is less time-consuming as it precisely hits only the affected body part. With the help of this facility even high doses can be given to patients”, said Arya.

The public facility in MY Hospital is one of the largest cancer treatment government hospitals in central India and patients not only from Malwa-Nimar region but neighbouring states also visit for treatment, said Arya.

Similarly, the hospital records further reveal that breast cancer witnessed a 60 per cent surge from the year 2016 to 2018. The hospital registered 1125 cases of breast cancer in 2018 which was 60 per cent higher than 700 cases in 2016.

But the hospital has only one mammography machine, which remains dysfunctional for most of the time. Arya said, “Doctors can easily detect a tumour in the breast by touching the affected area in absence of mammography machine.”

Most patients from rural areas visit the facility and social taboo prevents them from exposing their private parts to male doctors and most doctors at the facility are male. Hence, the need for detection by machine and pathological process arises said a source in the hospital.