The Centre has given the go-ahead for the state to convert Adyar Cancer In stitute into a centre of excellence and a State Cancer Centre.
Announcing this in the assembly, chief minister J Jayalalithaa took credit for the upgrading of the institute and praised it for the good work it has been doing to treat cancer patients for many years. She said the institute would be upgraded at a cost of `120 crore.
The chief minister had in a 2013 letter to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought that the institute be upgraded.
“A proposal for upgrading the centre as a national centre is pending with the Union ministry of health and family welfare and it may be approved to enable it to expand and strengthen its capacity to treat cancer patients in larger numbers,” Jayalalithaa had stated. In a statement in the assembly on Tuesday, Jayalalithaa said, “The Centre has accepted the request to make the cancer institute a centre for excellence. It will be [done] at a cost of Rs 120 crore.”
The state will also provide mammography equipment to 15 district government hospitals at a cost of Rs 2.25 crore, she said.
Thanking the chief minister, Adyar Cancer Institute chairperson Dr V Shanta said the institute will spend the funds allocated to it over a period of 10 years. “It can be used only for purchase of equipment and construction of buildings,” she said. “We cannot use the funds for maintenance or to increase salaries of our employees. It is great honour that our work has been recognised.”
Stating that the cancer institute is a leader in its field, Dr Shanta said it could play a leadership role for all cancer treatment centres in the state.
“It is my dream to assume a leadership role and coordinate the screening and prevention measures being done by various centres in districts. As a nodal agency we will be able to collate data collected from these centres and analyse it,” Dr Shanta said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / by B. Sivakumar, TNN / August 26th, 2015