KOCHI: Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said that she will speak to Ernakulam District Collector M.G. Rajamanickam on the panel of 30 oncologists he has, who are ready to serve Kochi Cancer Centre. She told Deccan Chronicle on Saturday that the Collector has not briefed her in this regard so far.
“I will certainly seek the list from him. The Government is of the basic opinion that the functioning of no existing health care institution should be affected while starting a new one. There is a definite shortage of specialists in the health service and transferring existing ones will create problems. However, Kochi Cancer Centre is on top this Government’s agenda especially since it is a dream of Justice V R Krishna Iyer. We will explore how best we can open the outpatient wing soon after augmenting the facilities at the building allotted for the cancer centre and by getting enough oncologists,” Ms Shylaja said.
The Health Minister said that OP cannot be opened with the present facilities. “The exterior of the building looks good but not the interior and facilities. A cancer OP cannot function like other OPs and people cannot simply be referred to other hospitals,” she added. Ms Shylaja also said that the meeting of the Governing Council chaired by the Chief Minister will also be convened at the earliest. “We are just two months old and meantime I was bogged down by the diphtheria and other issues. The Governing Council meeting will not be delayed much. I will also look into the Detailed Project Report to realize the project,” she said.
