BENGALURU: Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Tuesday launched a bone marrow transplant (BMT) centre at the Bengaluru-centred Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (KMIO) to facilitate free treatment for children from economically weaker sections. He also announced plans to set up Kidwai regional centres in each district to make cancer treatment easily accessible to people across the state.
The bone marrow transplant centre has been opened to ensure that no child is deprived of such treatment in the fight against cancer, he noted. Sudhakar also participated in the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the medical ICU that is being constructed in Kidwai at a cost of Rs 4 crore.
Speaking on the occasion to mark International Childhood Cancer Day, Sudhakar said bone marrow transplant is not affordable for poor patients at private hospitals, and the new facility at Kidwai will ensure that no one is deprived of cancer treatment. Two kids have already received treatment and more will avail treatment here in the coming days, he said.
Childhood cancer is one of the major causes of death among kids and adolescents across the world, especially in developing countries. Lack of early diagnosis and timely treatment are the main reasons for cancer fatalities.
The decision to set up regional centres has come about after taking note of the hardship that cancer patients undergo in travelling to Bengaluru to be treated at Kidwai, which has increased the burden on the institute. “To increase accessibility to effective cancer treatment across the state, we are planning to set up regional centres in all the districts,” Sudhakar said.