Radiotherapy, chemo for patients at Nair hospital, Mumbai

Radiotherapy, chemo for patients at Nair hospital

All those part of a long waiting period for chemotherapy and radiotherapy at Tata hospital will soon have another option. The civic body has decided to commission these services on a large scale to Nair hospital. Many private and civic hospitals provide surgical treatment for cancer. However, to get the two therapies, patients depend on Tata hospital in Parel. The civic body, too, offers the treatments at Nair hospital, but doesn’t have the set-up to handle a large number of patients. The corporation has decided to add 75 beds at Nair hospital for those needing the therapies. It is also mulling over reserving 25 beds each for its patients from Sion and KEM hospitals. “Both are crucial treatments, but patients have to wait for months for them. This poses a risk to their health. Hence, this idea is being considered,” chief of the corporation’s health committee Geeta Gawali said. A proposal in this regard will soon be brought before the panel for its approval. Additional municipal commissioner Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar said chemotherapy is expected to start in the ongoing fiscal, while radiotherapy with cobalt base is likely to start from the next financial year. “The move is part of our effort to convert Nair hospital into a state-of-the-art cancer care facility,” Mhaiskar said, and added that the services will be provided at cheaper rates as compared to private hospitals.