Oncology Department of KGH in Visakhapatnam to get high-end equipment soon
The Hindu
KGH's Medical Oncology Department offers services that match corporate hospitals.
The ambience and services at the Medical Oncology Department ward of King George Hospital (KGH) can match, if not excel, that at corporate hospitals in the State. The new multi-storeyed CSR building, has 160 beds in oncology, the highest among government medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh, as of now.
The Out Patient counters, and the beds in the ‘male’ and ‘female’ wards were seen overflowing with patients. In spite of the steady stream of patients and visitors, the floor and the premises were spick and span. The ambience makes visitors feel that they are in a corporate hospital.
No wonder, K. Shilpa, an Associate Professor of Medical Oncology, and a Member of the AP Comprehensive Cancer Care (APCCC) Project, was awarded a certificate of merit, by Health Minister Vidadala Rajini at the recent Independence Day celebrations held in the city.
“The Out Patient (OP) wing gets around 35 patients, a day, on the average. We are performing around 350 chemos every month. Every bed has been provided with an independent piped connection for supply of oxygen, in case any patient needs it,” Dr. Shilpa, who is also in charge HOD of Medical Oncology Department, told The Hindu.
“We have also opened a paediatric oncology ward to accommodate children suffering from cancer. The walls have been painted with colourful cartoon characters. We also have plans to open a ‘play zone’ adjacent to this ward to keep the children engaged and provide relaxation to the young minds, during their stay at the hospital,” she says.
The CSR Block constructed, beside the main building of Andhra Medical College (AMC), has 90 beds, including ICU, in medical oncology, 40 beds in radiotherapy and 30 beds in surgical oncology.
Dr. Shilpa says: “The State government is keen on early completion of the Level-1 Cancer Care Centres in Visakhapatnam, Guntur and Kurnool, and Level-2 Centres in Anantapur, Kakinada and Kadapa. The Kurnool hospital, which is being developed with ₹120 crore from the Central Government, will be designated as the State Cancer Centre’. However, the work at the Kurnool centre is yet to begin.
While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause. Contaminated drinking water supplied by VMC officials is the reason, insist people in the affected areas, but officials insist that efforts are on to identify the disease and that those with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps.