THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Digital Nerve Centre is set to make the visit to Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) a lot easier. The centre, which will be located at Technopark, would ensure timely appointment with the doctors and follow-up care. Tata Trust will bear the entire cost of the centre.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) campus at Technopark will accommodate the Digital Nerve Centre. The centre will be run by dedicated set of doctors and IT professionals. The centre aims to reduce the difficulties of patients in terms of getting appointments with cancer specialists.
The doctors at the centre will call up patients or their caregivers and fix a convenient appointment. If the patient misses the appointment, the centre will ensure continuity of treatment by fixing the next appointments at the earliest.
This is seen as a major relief for patients, especially those from poor economic background who often discontinue treatment due to various formalities involved in the hospital. RCC in turn can
focus entirely on treatment part.
Apart from RCC, the centre will cater to four cancer treatment centres such as Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata, and the Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai.
The state government signed an agreement with the Tata’s on Wednesday. Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rajeev Sadanandan, TCS vice-president (Healthcare) Girish Krishnamurthy, and HSD Srinivas of the Tata Trust signed the agreement in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The Chief Minister said the Digital Nerve Centre is the result of the meeting that he held with Tata Group chairman N Chandrasekaran. The digital nerve centre’s services will be expanded under the state government’s patient friendly Ardram mission.
It will evaluate the effect of the Digital Nerve Centre’s operation and would decide on enlisting other major hospitals in the state for the programme.
Tata’s Digital Nerve Centre is the second major corporate funded initiative after Infosys constructed a connecting corridor between the Medical College hospital buildings.