Mangalore, Oct 11: Kasturba Medical College (KMC) Hospital will be able to provide children diagnosed with cancer with tertiary care with the setting-up of a new Paediatric Haematology Oncology Department, said Medical Superintendent of the hospital Dr Anand Venugopal.
Announcing this at a press conference here, he said that roughly about 50,000 estimated children developed cancer each year in India, out of which many went undiagnosed or without adequate treatment. More than one quarter of them are children with leukaemia. There is enormous progress in the treatment of childhood cancers in the Western world. Children with cancer who have the likelihood of cure with appropriate treatment and multidisciplinary support should not be ignored, he said.
He said that the new department aimed to improve outcome of childhood cancers by providing blood bank services, histopathology services, patient and family-centred tertiary care at KMC hospitals in Mangalore.
He said that with the setting up of the department, KMC Hospital would be able to treat malignant and non-malignant haematological conditions, along with oncology and neuro-oncology (brain tumours). Treatment will be delivered either as an in-patient or an out-patient with regular inputs from different specialists such as paediatric haemato oncologists, paediatric surgeons and radiation oncologists. By offering treatment in Mangalore, disruption to normal family life can be minimised, he said.
All the related cases will be handled and treated by Dr Harsha Prasada L, a UK-trained Paediatric Haemato-oncologist with clinical experience from globally reputed paediatric haemato-oncology centres in London, he said.
Dr Harsha Prasada was present on the occasion.
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