Kochi: Cancer treatment and allocation for cancer centres find a major place in the budget. The budget allocation for Regional Cancer Centre Thiruvananthapuram is Rs 59 crore and for Malabar Cancer Centre is Rs 29 crore. Apart from that, out of the Rs 1000 crore stimulus package offered for the health sector, Rs 250 crore will be used this year for the infrastructure development of various hospitals under the government including Kochi and Malabar cancer centres.
However, the Finance Minister has not specifically demarcated any special allocation out of this sum for the two cancer centres. The Justice Krishna Iyer Movement in Kochi is peeved over what they called the neglect of Kochi cancer centre with no specific allocation for the centre while CPM district secretary P Rajeev told DC that even one fifth of Rs 250 crore will enable starting of the Kochi Cancer Centre Out Patient wing this year itself with mammogram and chemotherapy units, which is a very positive development.
The OP wing is being now under construction on the Ernakulam Government Medical College campus at Kalamassery The Rs 29 crore sanctioned in UDF Government budget gets carried over for Malabar Cancer Centre (MCC) and is now earmarked for the basic facility development. MCC Administrative Officer Rajesh A.K said that the up-gradation of clinical laboratory facility and the extension of Paediatric oncology department infrastructure are the main proposals given for the utilisation of the fund. The other major proposals are the expansion of radio therapy block and purchase of CT scanner and 1000 KVA diesel generator for the Centre.
