REGIONAL CANCER CENTRE, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Despite the high literacy level and health status it is
very distressing to note that there is high prevalence
of certain diseases in Kerala. Among these cancer also
tops the list.
The Regional Cancer Centre was established in 1981 as
one of the six centres in India. The state government
transferred to this centre a few departments of medical
college, Thiruvananthapuram which were concerned with
cancer care. The centre is an autonomous scientific sponsored
jointly by the Government of Kerala and Government of
India.
The main objectives are:
1.
To provide facilities of modern treatment for cancer
2.
To evolve cancer control programme
3. To
provide necessary facilities for teaching under graduates,
post graduates and paramedicals. The centre provides comprehensive
cancer care for the whole of Kerala, South Tamilnadu and
South Karnataka
Clinical
Service
The Regional Cancer Centre has many of the modern facilities
for radiotherapy such as linear accelerator, treatment
planning computer, computerised remote after loading system,
micro selection, thexatron 780 C, fibre optic endoscope,
auto analyser and blood cell counter, chemotherapy, cryostat,
blood gas analyzer, tissue culture facility etc. This
centre has a composite imaging project for assessment
and for investigative procedures. In addition to the clinical
laboratory scintillation scanner, gama camera, doppler
scanner, ultra sound scanner and other equipments are
available. In order to give better attention to children
a paediatric ward with modern facilities including children’s
playroom and mother’s room also has been established.
The bed strength for cancer patients at Thiruvananthapuram
is 300 and nearly 8000 – 10000 new patients are registered
in the centre annually.
Research
Ever since its inception the centre is carrying out (a)
Experimental cancer research (b) Clinical Cancer research
(c) Community oriented research. The centre has produced
9 Ph.Ds during the last decade and it has presented about
500 scientific papers.
Teaching
The Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram is conducting
the following full time and part time courses.
(a)
Full Time
1.
M.D. Radiotherapy
2.
P.H.D in Immunology, Biochemistry and other biological
sciences
3.
Diploma in Medical Radiotherapy
4.
Cytotechnologists course
5.
Cytotechnicians course
6.
Nursing assistant course
(b)
Part Time
1.
MD Pathology
2.
MD Obstetrics and Gynecology
3.
MS . General Surgery
4.
MS ENT
5.
MBBS ( III & IVth year)
6.
B.Sc Nursing
7.
Radiotherapy
8.
Certified Radiological assistants
The
Centre also conducts periodical training programmes involving
foreign faculty, members in Radiotherapy, Radiobiology,
Tumor registry and paediatric oncology.
The
Regional Cancer is giving importance to community oncology
and has a separate community oncology division. The two
early cancer detection centres are at Palakkad and Ernakulam.
Several programmes on cancer prevention, control and early
detection are in vogue.
The
Centre has made excellent progress in human resource development
Preliminary
work to extend the cancer control activities in Kannur
and Kollam districts is already on. The early cancer
detection centre in Kannur was inaugurated in 1996. The
number of pain relief also increased from 10 to 12 in
1996.
As
a fitting award to the Regional Cancer Centre’s activities
in comprehensive cancer control, the WHO designated this
centre as WHO collaborating centre for cancer control
for the developing countries. This has enabled the centre
to pretest, formulate and implement cancer control models
developed in the Regional Cancer Centre in the other regions
of the world. No other centre in India has been entrusted
with such a major responsibility in collaboration with
WHO.
Modern
medical management of cancer is expensive on account of
the enormous cost of diagnosis and treatment. As such
mainly for the weaker sections RCC has introduced the
cancer care life in 1986. Anyone who is not a cancer patient
could become a member by making a one time remittance
of Rs.101 to a designated bank. The scheme emphasises
to revive diagnostic and treatment facilities free of
cost at the RCC to the member. It was reintroduced in
1992 with a membership fee of Rs.500 per person and a
discount per family membership.
| Year |
No.of
Hospitals |
Beds |
No.
of hospitals |
No.
Of indoor patients treated |
| 1981 |
26 |
2398 |
23 |
26929 |
| 1985 |
26 |
2878 |
23 |
49872 |
| 1989 |
26 |
3206 |
23 |
45220 |
| 1990 |
26 |
3245 |
23 |
44682 |
No
of Specialised institutions for cancer can No. Of patients
treated.
