Kochi: Kochiites are angry as the state government has not moved an inch on the Kochi cancer centre and failed to secure any central assistance for the project despite public outcry and the pathetic state of cancer care in the government sector in central Kerala. While a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will be held at his chamber in the state capital on Friday, it is known that central assistance is not forthcoming for the Kochi cancer centre.
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda revealed this in a letter to Mr Kodikkunnil Suresh MP when the latter brought to his notice the increasing incidence of cancer among the population of Kuttanad and demanded a special package for the people and enhancing the facilities at Alappuzha Medical College Hospital for cancer care.
The minister said that a central assistance of Rs 90 crore would be given for the Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram as the state chips in with Rs 30 crore for it which will be raised to the status of a state cancer centre. Further, an amount of Rs 25.03 crore has been released for Government Medical College, Kozhikode, as the first instalment of the central government’s share for setting up a tertiary care cancer centre (TCCC).
A sum of Rs 45 crore which includes 25 percent share of the state is envisaged for the TCCC. The Justice Krishna Iyer Movement has come out against the state government neglecting Kochi.
“The government failed to present the Detailed Project Report prepared by HSCC before the centre to secure its assistance for the Kochi cancer centre project. They could not secure even Rs 45 crore offered by former health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad for the project,” said Dr N.K. Sanil Kumar, a volunteer of the movement.
Now it remains to be seen whether the centre will grant funds for the Kochi project. The union minister in his reply to Mr Kodikkunnil Suresh said: “We hope that the above initiative of improving tertiary care for cancer in Kerala will alleviate the hardships of cancer patients in the region to a large extent,” which indirectly states that the state cannot expect more funds on this score.
