Cancer treatment now precise, targeted: CM

NAGPUR: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that over the years cancer treatment has become much more precise and targeted.

It no longer has the severe side effects that were once associated with it. It is now possible to completely cure a person if the disease is detected early.

He was speaking at the inauguration of 125-bedded Health Care Global-

Nagpur Cancer Hospital and Research Institute

(HCG- NCHRI) set up at a cost of Rs100 crore near the

Automotive Square

on

Kamptee Road

.

The state of the art cancer diagnostic and treatment facility has been developed jointly by the HCG group and Dr Ajay Mehta, an onco-surgeon. It has the latest True Beam, PET-CAT scan for planning and diagnosis along with a psycho oncology and pathology lab.

Fadnavis said that the dedicated centre was a dream come true not just for the region and

Central India

but for thousands of cancer patients who had been travelling to various metros and abroad for treatment.

Earlier, radiotherapy affected normal tissues adjacent to cancerous parts. But now with automated treatment delivery systems the therapy is much targeted.

The CM said that it was sad that Maharashtra ranked second in cancer and

Vidarbha

was infamous for being the oral cancer capital. He urged citizens to stop consuming tobacco and ensure that the tag is removed.

Cancer can happen due to pollution, environment, habits and various other reasons but oral cancer is man made.

Fadnavis said that compared to other diseases the trauma of relatives in cancer is as big as the patient. Hence, doctors should work in preventive research.

He also promised to extend all help to the HCG group from the state government in case the group plans more centres in the state.

HCG chairman BS Ajai Kumar said that the group’s effort with its 350 oncologists is to provide accessible and affordable treatment to the masses.

The HCG group has 20 centres in India and is planning to add more at Borivili, Kochi, Jaipur, Nashik and Kolkata in near future.

He said that HCG group provides cancer treatment in India at almost one fourth the cost compared to USA.

The group also has provision for very poor patients. He added that the war on cancer could be won by doctors if people consciously get their annual check-ups done.

Dinesh

Madhavan

, one of the HCG-NCHRI director said that early detection was the key to reducing cancer prevalence.

It being cancer survivors’ day the hospital felicitated some cancer survivors who fight the disease bravely by Fadnavis. These included Manish Batra, Archana Das, Geeta Mathur, Dr Nirmala Waze, Sunanda Sonarikar and Ashish Gajbhiye.

Dr Ajay Mehta, the HCG-NCHRI director listed the equipment and treatment modalities available in the hospital. Dr Suchitra Mehta, another director, proposed vote of thanks.