A SKIMS ward, ‘dedicated’ for cancer patients, reserved for VIPs
With incidence of cancer on rise in Kashmir, there is nothing being done at the governmental-level to address the lack of facilities for treatment of cancer patients in the Valley.
At the SK Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) at Soura, a 20-bedded ward sanctioned for Surgical Oncology by a former Chief Minister has proved to be a damp squib. The Ward 2-P was allocated for cancer surgeries in 2012 when the Department of Surgical Oncology was established. While the Ward housed some faculty rooms for two years, it was not re-modelled to convert it into a cancer ward. Instead, renovation of the area was started and it was re-allocated as a Paid Ward—a facility mostly occupied by high-profile persons “even for mild fevers”, according to SKIMS insiders.
A faculty member at SKIMS Regional Cancer Center (RCC), said: “The former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had announced—apart from other facilities for cancer surgeries—this Ward as a dedicated facility for surgeries of cancer patients. But it wasn’t used for the purpose and no funds were allotted to augment the facilities for the cancer patients.”
Currently, the Department of Surgical Oncology has just six beds in Ward 07 and according to hospital sources, hundreds of patients have to wait in queue for surgeries—sometimes for more than three months.
A surgeon at SKIMS said: “The outcome of cancer patients worsens when we have to make them wait for surgeries for months together.”
He said: “Cancer cells often proliferate fast and when we send a patient back and ask him to come after a few months, we know he might never come back.”
Director SKIMS, DrShowkat Ali Zargar denied paucity of space for cancer patients. “Cancers are not operated just by surgical oncologists. In our institute, we have the best gastroenterology surgeons, neurosurgeons, urologists and other super-specialists who do the best of surgeries.”
Admitting there is a huge influx of patients with malignancies, he said about 50 percent patients in other surgical departments are cancer patients. “Onco-surgery caters to a part of cancer surgery load only. Our entire hospital surgery wards are open for patients operated for cancers.”
The hospital authorities said the 2012 announcement about Ward 2P was made “without ground work.”
“We are remodeling Ward 1P for cancer surgeries now,” a SKIMS official said.
He blamed the delay in commissioning of works and equipment for ‘fund delays’.
“How can we carry out work if we have no money?” said a senior official.
DrZargar said the Institute is commissioning Linear Accelerator and a procurement committee for PET Scan is also being constituted. “Linear Accelerator will be helpful in treating many common cancers we have here,” DrZargar said.
In Kashmir, 1386 women have been registered at the RCC with breast cancer since 2009. Most of these breast tumors are detected in advanced stage, affecting the outcome of patients, according to medicos.
While many studies have advocated routine mammography for women with a family history of breast cancer, in SKIMS the patients have to go to private diagnostic centers for mammography. The equipment for mammography is lying defunct for a long time.
At SMHS Hospital, screening and awareness activities for breast cancer had been initiated for a brief period at Kashmir Nursing Home, but halted suddenly. Doctors believe that cancer awareness is as much a necessity in Kashmir as its diagnosis and treatment facilities. However, no such activity is carried out by any health agency in Kashmir, making cancer a disease diagnosed late, affecting treatment outcomes.
The work on Rs 120 crore State Cancer Institute with Government of India funding has begun and the hospital authorities say it will “solve many problems on cancer-treatment front.”
