The Andhra Pradesh Medical Health and Family Welfare department has drafted a new proposal to set up State cancer hospital at Kurnool and two regional cancer centres at Nellore and Rajahmundry in the state.

As part of the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, CVD and Stroke (NPCDCS), the state government is seeking central government’s permission and financial aid for establishing a state level cancer hospital and two regional cancer centres in Andhra Pradesh.

To this effect, Dr Kamineni Srinivas, minister for health medical and family welfare, government of Andhra Pradesh, has written a letter to Union health ministry to grant permission for setting up the cancer centre at Kurnool. This cancer centre will be affiliated to Kurnool Government Medical College.

Until recently, the cancer patients in the surrounding districts of Kurnool, Ananthapur, and Mahabubnagar used to go to Hyderabad which is more than 200 kilometres from Kurnool to avail cancer check up and advance treatment facilities. Because of long distance and due to economically poor background, many patients have been facing lot of inconvenience. “Setting up a new state level cancer hospital will really benefit poor patients in the surrounding districts of Kurnool, Kadapa, Ananthapur and Mahabubnagar. We have written a letter to Union health minister to accord early permission and aid us financially to set up this new institute at the earliest,” informed the minister.

With the bifurcation of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, majority healthcare institutions and top end medical colleges have gone to Telangna state, whereas there are only a few leading healthcare institutions in the remnant AP.  To overcome this, the state health ministry is leaving no stone unreturned to fulfil all the lost assets with the help of Central government.

At present, already there is a cancer care facility at Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical sciences (SVIMS), therefore the state government has given priority to Kurnool for setting up the state level cancer hospital and prepared the draft accordingly. Very soon, the central government is also planning to set up All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Mangalagiri in Guntoor districts which would also have an integrated cancer centre benefiting people surrounding Guntoor, Krishna, Prakasham Godavari districts.

For the benefit of Northern and other coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, the Central government has also proposed to establish Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre at Aganampudi in Vishakhapatnam under administrative control of TATA Memorial Centre, Mumbai.

To cater to the needs of cancer patients in Nellore and Rajahmundry, the state government has also proposed to open regional cancer centres at AC Subba Reddy government Medical College in Nellore and District government general hospital in East Godavari districts.

Once the central government accords permission to these three important projects, AP will soon become the medical hub of India and cancer patients from all over the country can avail highest quality treatment for cancer, informed the minister.