VISAKHAPATNAM: The tertiary cancer centre at the King George Hospital-Andhra Medical College is yet to start its services. Though the building is ready, Rs 40 crore needed to buy equipment is yet to be released by the Centre. Every year, around 3,000 cancer patients come to the hospital for treatment from neighbouring districts as well as from Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
The government earlier proposed to set up a State cancer centre in Kurnool, and a tertiary centre at the KGH for which an agreement was signed between the Centre, the State and the hospital. In September 2018, an expert committee visited the KGH to inspect the feasibility of the facility and submitted a representation to the Centre seeking funds for buying the equipment.
After the visit, officials from the medical college were invited by the Union Ministry of Health to give a presentation on the facilities in February 2019. Speaking to Express, AMC principal PV Sudhakar said: “The first floor of the CSR Oncology Block at KGH, which was built at a cost of `20 crore, is kept ready for the cancer facility. All we now need is funds for the equipment.
We have even got nod for the funds to be sanctioned. Despite the hospital having specialists in surgical oncology, many patients are being referred to other centres.” “Once the funds are released, the services can begin soon after we get the equipment, which generally takes 3-6 months after being ordered,” Sudhakar added.