NATCO spending Rs 16.5 cr thru CSR

Guntur: A 100-bed Super Specialty Cancer Hospital, which was under construction at the Government General Hospital in Guntur city, is expected to be completed by this year end. NATCO Pharma Limited is constructing a three-storeyed building spread over 55,000 square feet under Corporate Social Responsibility at a cost of Rs 16.5 crore to cater to the needs of the cancer patients.

If completed, it would be the first the Super Specialty Cancer Hospital in the government hospitals in the state. While Natco Pharma is constructing the building complex for cancer hospital, the state government will provide necessary equipment for the caner hospital which will cater to the needs of cancer patients in the coastal districts.

The patients suffering from cancer belonging to the poor and middle class families cannot bear medical expenses for long term treatment for cancer in the corporate hospitals. Hence, they may take treatment at the GGH.  

The state government will provide Linear Accelerator Treatment Machine for radiation at a cost of Rs 13.5.crore.

This is the  latest machine, which also equipped with high definition imaging software and a built-in CT scanner, which will allow the cancer centre to be more accurate when aiming beams of radiation at cancer cells, and will reduce the risk of damaging tissue that surrounds the parts of the body that needs treatment. Chemotherapy would be provided for cancer patients at the GGH  very soon free of cost.

If this hospital comes into operation, the Guntur Medical College would get super specialty seats in in surgical oncology, medical oncology. It would get MD Radiotherapy seats also. Initially, the Medical Council of India would permit two seats in each course.

GGH superintendent  Dr DS Raju Naidu said: “The Natco Pharma is constructing the cancer hospital.  We will render  super specialty services for cancer hospital. The Natco  Pharma will supply cancer medicines to the government at a nominal price. The hospital is expected to be completed by the year end”.

NATCO Pharma Limited Chairman Nannapaneni Venkaiah Chowdary said: “We got permissions from the government and Baba Atomic Research Centre to construct the cancer hospital.  We will complete the construction work within six months”.

It may be recalled that Nannapaneni Venkaiah Chowdary hails from Duggirala in Guntur district who started Natco Pharma is  constructing the  cancer hospital to render free medical services in the GGH under the Corporate Social Responsibility.