Four years, multiple changes fail to help cancer care centre at MKCG
BERHAMPUR: Four years after it was announced by the state government, construction of the cancer care centre at the MKCG Medical College and Hospital (MKCGMCH) in Berhampur is yet to be complete.
Although the building structure of the cancer care centre has now been completed, several critical infrastructure works, including installation of a transformer, electrification and water supply, are yet to be carried out.
Moreover, the latest machinery and equipment required for cancer treatment have not been procured, sources said. The newly constructed building currently lies unused and is being guarded by four security personnel, with all work at a standstill. To strengthen cancer treatment facilities in southern Odisha, the state government in 2021 decided to establish the cancer centre on the premises of MKCGMCH. A 14,000-square-metre patch of land adjoining the playground within the hospital campus was identified for the project.
In 2022, tenders were floated for construction, and Kolkata-based private firm Mackintosh Burn Limited was awarded the contract at an estimated cost of Rs 66.97 crore. The four-storeyed building was taken up under the supervision of the Ganjam R&B Division-I, with September 2024 fixed as the target date for completion. Construction, however, did not begin on schedule due to a rise in the cost of construction materials. Following prolonged deliberations, the state government revised the project cost to Rs 76.19 crore, after which work commenced.
Meanwhile, the BJD government was voted out of power and the BJP assumed office in 2024. Subsequently, the pace of construction slowed due to modifications in the building plan, leading to further delays and a cost escalation to Rs 90.64 crore.
As per the original plan, the radiotherapy department alone requires at least four senior residents, six junior residents, two full-time medical physicists, six radiotherapy technologists and four assistant professors of radiation oncology. However, no recruitment process has begun so far.
At present, MKCGMCH continues to manage cancer patients through its existing radiotherapy department. Departmental records indicate that, besides around 500 indoor patients, an average of 120 new patients report daily for treatment. Nearly 130 to 150 patients undergo chemotherapy, while several others are referred to the Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre in Cuttack for advanced care.
While officials of the project proponent were not available for comment, R&B officials distanced themselves from the issue, stating that the matter has been placed before the government. Apart from incomplete construction, no steps have been initiated to recruit the staff approved for the cancer centre.
Meanwhile, MKCGMCH dean Suchitra Dash has written to the director of Medical Education and Training (DMET), seeking appointment of the required staff for the care centre and initiation of the procurement process for necessary machinery. She has also sought a status report on the construction of the care centre from the superintending engineer of Ganjam’s R&B.