AP signs MoU with Homi Bhabha cancer institute

VIJAYWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Government has signed an MoU with the Homi Bhabha Cancer Institute. M T Krishna Babu, Principal Secretary, Medical & Health, on Saturday said that an agreement had been reached on cancer treatment at Visakhapatnam King George Hospital, Tirupati SVIMS, and Vijayawada Chinakakani Hospital.

Krishna Babu told the media that every year, the government would spend Rs. 400 crore for cancer treatment in AP and recalled that 30 lakh people were given cancer treatment in the last year. He said that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy advised the medical & health department staff to diagnose and treat cancer at an early stage and instituted a tele-consultancy service on cancer at village secretariats.

Meanwhile, it is estimated that about 120 out of every one lakh people in the state are suffering from cancer. This number is likely to increase further in future. With this, plans have been drawn up to equip the cancer treatment resources in the state with advanced medical practices keeping in view the future needs.

The Department of Medical & Health would seek technical assistance from Homi Baba Hospital, Visakhapatnam in this regard. Homi Bhabha Hospital would provide screening for disease detection, identification of various types of cancer risks, availability of preventive oncology and cancer day care services in districts, training of doctors and medical staff in the registry and government hospitals for skill development of staff.

Homi Bhabha Hospital would assist the State in the setting up of tobacco cessation centers in government hospitals and in designing referral procedures to provide better treatment to screened cancer patients and high-risk patients. It is well known that AP lost cancer treatment resources after the bifurcation of the state. In this context, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy focused on curbing cancer and improving treatment resources in the public sector. The treatment resources within the state would be improved so that people do not have to go to other states for cancer treatment in the future.