State to set up board to coordinate cancer care activities

Thiruvananthapuram: A high-level meeting chaired by health minister K K Shailaja here on Saturday decided to set up a

cancer care board

for coordinating cancer care as well as preventive activities in the state.

“One of the major challenges that Kerala faces in the health sector is the

prevalence of cancer

. Statistics reveal that over 50,000 people undergo cancer treatment every year in Kerala. In this context, joint efforts of medical practitioners and technology experts have become inevitable,” the minister said.

The cancer care board is being set up as part of the cancer strategy action plan, which proposes to link cancer treatment facility centres in government and private health care centres.

“This board would take a final call on all cancer-related works and policies in the state in the future,” the minister said.

New cancer care programmes, preventive measures, awareness campaigns, stocking of cancer care drugs, purchase of equipment for cancer treatment would be decided by the board, the minister added.

There will be state and district-level committees for the board. Health minister would be the chairperson of the state-level committee in which health department principal secretary, directors of regional cancer centres, health director, medical education director, cancer care experts would be members in this committee.

There will be subcommittees for cancer prevention, treatment, drug and equipment purchase.

There will be district committees to coordinate activities of regional cancer centres, medical colleges, other hospitals in government and private sector.

District medical officer (DMO) would head the district committees. Private hospitals would also have a key role in the cancer strategy action plan.

Health department principal secretary Dr Rajan N Kobragade, health director Dr R L Saritha, medical education director Dr A Ramla Beevi, RCC director Dr Rekha A Nair, MCC director Dr Moni Kuriakose, non-communicable diseases prevention and control programme nodel officer Dr Bipin Gopal, cancer care experts Dr Ram Das, Dr A Sajeed, Dr R Mahadevan and Dr T Ajayakumar participated in the meeting.