Retired Supreme Court judge Justice V R Krishna Iyer inaugurated an air-conditioned cancer ward for women at Ernakulam General Hospital on Saturday. This is an initiative of ‘Daya’, a helping hand of the Kerala Samsthana Vyapari Vyavasayi Samithi. 10 air conditioners worth `6 lakh have been installed in the ward. On the request of P Rajeeve MP, the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) assured that it would install air conditioners in the men’s cancer ward. C P George, KCCI chairman, said the installation work would be finished by the middle of March.
Delivering the keynote address, Rajeeve said that the general hospital can have more facilities if institutions and individuals are ready to take up initiatives for a noble cause such as this. “When linear accelerator (LINAC) therapy is the need of the hour, the general hospital was functioning on an age-old cobalt therapy. We could have afforded it, had institutions and individuals extended their support towards such enterprises. It is a welcoming move that the Health Minister has announced to help in the installation of LINACs,” he said.
T V Pradeep, unit president of the Kerala Samsthana Vyapari Vyavasayi Samithi, presided over the function. Under the aegis of the campaign for Kochi Cancer Centre led by Justice Krishna Iyer, Shilesh Raghuram, managing partner of Heritage Designers, presented an LCD TV to the cancer ward. Deputy Mayor B Bhadra, GCDA chairman N Venugopal, former Collector K R Vishwambharan, Annie PG, superintendent, Ernakulam GH and Junaid Rahman, special officer, Cochin Medical College, also attended the function.