NEW DELHI: The Delhi State Cancer Institute has launched the first programme in the country for training oncology nurses for cancer patients, said doctors working with the institute. According to doctors, the nurses will be trained to treat cancer patients and the training for care will be given at par with the international standard.
“While the doctors give details as to what medicines have to be given and how a cancer patient has to be treated, the execution of the care is primarily in the hands of the nurses who are dealing with them on a daily basis so for that their proper training is very essential,” said Dr Pragya Shukla, head of the department of clinical oncology at the Delhi State Cancer Institute.
She further added that oncology is a developing branch and from time to time we keep bringing changes in the treatment of patients. But the nurses on the other hand are trained only once. While the doctors prescribe the drugs, the chain becomes weak when the patient is not given due care. “Doctors don’t meet patients as often as nurses and the nurses work as a mediator between patients and doctors, so it’s imperative to make the nurses more skilled and trained for the same,” she added.
The 30-day programme will witness the training of 15 nurses. Dr Shukla further added that if the programme succeeds, they will further plan for more such training. “It’s a very holistic programme where training will be imparted from angles including scientific, psychological and ethical perspectives,” she said. The institute had also signed a memorandum of understanding with a private firm to provide training to the nurses.