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Journalism of Courage
Aiming to provide specialised treatment to cancer patients visiting the city from across India, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Sector 32 are planning to set up the department of medical oncology.
The PGI will start with an Outpatient Department (OPD) of medical oncology, which will function two days a week, starting from Wednesday. It is to be noted that none of the government hospitals in the city has oncology department at present.
A PGI official said that initially it would run twice a week (Wednesday and Thursday). A doctor, with specialisation in medical oncology will see the patients. Sources said that all the doctors have been informed that medical oncology OPD will function from radiotherapy OPD (Nehru block) between 2 pm and 4 pm.
Currently, at the PGI, the cancer patients are mostly treated by the specialised doctors from the department of radiotherapy. According to the PGI’s “5-year consolidated report” on cancer registry, 32, 408 malignant cases were registered at Regional Cancer Centre from 2011-2015. The report said “there was an steady increase in number of cancers registered”. The number of cancer cases registered in 2011 was 5,465, which reached 7,439 in 2015.
AT GMCH also, officials said that a committee has been formed in the matter. “A committee of senior doctors has been formed to set up a department of medical oncology,” Dr Ravi Gupta, Medical Superintendent, GMCH, confirmed to Chandigarh Newsline.
