Tamil Nadu: cancer clinic launched at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital

However, the hospital lacks radiotherapy equipment, so it cannot be performed at the cancer clinic here. Even after having allocated funds for procuring the equipment, and a department for medical and surgical oncology, there were no doctors and equipments available. The good news is that the hospital has been able to establish a full-fledged facility to treat cancer.

As reported by TOI, established as an outpatient ward, the clinic is housed in the recently inaugurated department of minimal access surgery on the first floor of the trauma care and super specialty care block. The ward, which started functioning as an outpatient ward from February 8 without a formal inauguration, has been receiving good response.

Upgraded as a medical college hospital attached with the KAP Viswanatham Government Medical College (KAPVGMC) in 1997, the tertiary care hospital lacked a department for cancer treatment. The situation remained unchanged even after the hospital was equipped with the super specialty block in April 2014, thus forcing many poor patients to rely on private hospitals in the city or the government hospitals in Madurai, Thanjavur and Kancheepuram.

Radiotherapist Dr L Sofia, a former student of KAPVGMC, has been appointed as the first full-fledged doctor for cancer treatment in the clinic. The outpatient ward will be open from 9 am to 12 noon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.