Make coordinated efforts to curb cancer disease: CS to doctors

Tirupati: Chief Secretary Dr K S Jawahar Reddy suggested district authorities, SVIMS and TATA cancer hospitals in Tirupati should make coordinated efforts to prevent cancer and provide treatment to cancer patients. Addressing a review meeting with the Collectors of Tirupati and Chittoor districts and doctors of various hospitals at Sri Padmavathi guest house in Tirupati, he said that Tirupati was having highest priority in the field of medicine which should be enhanced further.

The CS said that the city has more educational institutions and hospitals on par with Visakhapatnam and there was a need to work towards preventing cancer and providing treatment with minimal costs. Utilising the services of secretariats, hospitals should conduct health camps to identify cancer patients.

If the disease is identified in the first phase, the treatment cost will come down significantly and lives can be saved. The CS felt that CMC hospital, Vellore should be included in such initiatives in Chittoor district. The CS said that he was glad to note that SV Ayurvedic hospital is ready to start 63 types of medicines at Narasingapuram.

SVIMS and Tata Cancer hospital doctors explained about the medical camps they have been organising through pink buses to screen women patients for cancer diagnosis. The CS directed them to go in a planned way from secretariat level. This initiative with the cooperation of IIT and IISER as a pilot project should be ready in 10 days. He recalled that the CM has directed to make Oncology a subject in all the upcoming 23 medical colleges.

Tirupati and Chittoor Collectors K Venkataramana Reddy and M Hari Narayanan, SVIMS medical superintendent Dr Ram, Dr Jayachandra Reddy, Dr Nageswar Reddy from Tata cancer hospital, Sri Padmvathi Children's heart centre director Dr Srinath Reddy and SV Ayurvedic college medical superintendent Dr Renu Deekshit were present.