Kochi: Amid the recent floods, the fledgling Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC) at Kalamassery turned a ‘relief centre’ for over 60 patients who were shifted from private hospitals which faced flood waters. Incidentally these were not cancer patients but those who faced medical conditions like asthma, hypertension, acute diabetes and cardiac problems and were undergoing treatment in these hospitals.
“They were referred to the Ernakulam Governm-ent Medical College (EMC) but they could not be accommodated there due to the flood of patients in EMC in the aftermath of the severe floods. They were accommodated in our OP building facility and at the payward facility of EMC on the same building,” said an official of CCRC.
He said that these patients were taken care of till August 29 and some of the staff of CCRC stayed at the building to take care of the patients during the crisis period. “House surgeons of EMC and doctors of CCRC joined hands to give medical attention to these patients and some of them took duty for 48 hours at a stretch,” he said.
The official said that the number of cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy shot up to 27 at the OP wing on August 27. “Chemotherapy is taken once in two or three weeks and these people had to postpone it to this day since they remained flood affected till then. Usually OP wing has up to 15 chemotherapy patients,” he said.
Meanwhile the work on the own building of the CCRC has resumed post floods and the foundation works are progressing now, said the official.
