THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major setback to the state government’s move to upgrade the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) as National Cancer Centre (NCC), the Union Health Ministry has categorically denied any such move. While it is learnt the ministry had not cited any reasons for rejecting the state’s proposal, it points out the RCC has been approved as a State Cancer Institute (SCI) under Strengthening of Tertiary Care Cancer Facilities scheme under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS).
“Successive governments had submitted a proposal of this kind to the ministry. Once, the ministry itself had given an in-principle approval to the same but then it dragged its feet because of the huge financial commitment involved,” said an officer at the RCC.
The officer further points out the proposal of upgrading RCC to NCC is being countered by the Centre because of its elevation to an SCI in 2014 itself. Being designated as an SCI, RCC is entrusted with the responsibility of mentoring and coordinating the activities of other institutes in the state dealing with tertiary cancer care. In addition, it provides outreach services, diagnosis and referral treatments along with research, participation in cancer registry programme and enhancing manpower capacity in the state in the field of cancer care.
“Though the proposal to upgrade RCC to NCC was submitted to the ministry, no positive response had come from it. Also, it didn’t specify any reason on why the proposal got rejected,” said Dr Paul Sebastian, former director of RCC. Meanwhile, RCC is gearing up to improve its patient care facilities with the construction of a new building with state-of-the-art radiotherapy machines, radioiodine therapy ward, nuclear medicine avenues, bone marrow transplant unit, operation theatres, wards, intensive care units, leukaemia ward, blood bank, microbiology unit, etc. To be constructed at a total outlay of `187 crore, the building is expected to increase RCC’s bed strength from 350 to 600.