Patna, Dec. 25: Bihar has registered the third highest number of cancer deaths in the country, after Uttar Pradesh and Maharshtra, this year so far.
According to figures available with National Cancer Registry Programme of the Indian Council of Medical Research, 43,864 people in the state have died of the disease till November 2011. The state government, however, seems totally unfazed by the figures, as there are hardly any plans to start specialised hospitals either in the government sector or in public-private partnership mode.
Figures of people getting affected with the disease are also alarming. Health department officials said over 40,000 new cancer cases have been diagnosed in the state in the past 11 months. At Mahavir Cancer Sansthan (MCS), the largest cancer treatment centre in Bihar, 26,000 new cases have been recorded this year, the second highest from any hospital in the country this year.
“Currently, over two lakh patients are being treated for the disease at our hospital,” said Dr J.K. Singh, director, MCS. And in line with trends from elsewhere in the country, oral cancer is the most common form of the disease among men, while about 62 per cent of patients here are women suffering from cervical and breast cancer.
While MCS, with a battery of around 100 trained and experienced oncologists, claims to have the best possible facilities for cancer treatment, many who can afford still prefer to go outside the state for specialised services. “It is more of a psychological factor. We can provide the best possible cancer treatment, comparable with what is available from other leading institutions across India, yet many choose to head outside,” said Singh. Given that a number of people go to Mumbai, Delhi and Vellore for treatment, Singh said the real number of deaths and cancer cases may be much bigger than what is estimated by the NCRP.
At Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) — two government tertiary care centres in the state where cancer treatment is offered — the influx of patients often overwhelms available infrastructure and facilities.
IGIMS, which has a cancer unit, runs with only three oncologists even as around 75,000 patients come to its OPD for screening every year. A plan to upgrade the centre at an estimated cost of Rs 21 crore has been in limbo for the past one year because of government apathy, doctors say.
Government functionaries, too, feel the rise in the nu-mber of patients is alarming.
“At PMCH and IGIMS, over 5,000 new cancer cases are being registered every year. Every day, 70-120 patients are being provided facilities like radiotherapy at these centres,” said Dr N.K. Mishra, programme officer, state health society.
At the same time, the health department admits that it cannot do much in terms of providing specialised cancer treatment.
“Providing super-specialised cancer treatment at government hospitals is not easy. It can only be done in the private sector. On our part, we have started the process of helping those in need through the Union government’s comprehensive National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases and Strokes, which was launched in 2010,” said Sanjay Kumar, the health secretary.
Even as Rs 5.15 crore has been dispatched to Vaishali, Rohtas, East Champaran, We-st Champaran, Kaimur and Muzaffarpur districts under the scheme, the programme is still to benefit the affected people. “We are yet to hire trained people for the purpose. Drugs, too, are yet to be procured. The scheme is in nascent stage in the state,” said Mishra.
