Anantnag, Sep 01: Cancer patients and their attendants in south Kashmir are seeking the early establishment of radiotherapy services at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag, saying the absence of the facility forces patients to repeatedly travel to Srinagar for an essential part of their treatment.
For families already struggling with the physical, emotional and financial burden of cancer, repeated journeys to Srinagar for radiotherapy add another layer of hardship, particularly for elderly patients and those requiring prolonged treatment.
Patients and attendants said that GMC Anantnag has gradually developed into an important cancer-care centre for the region, with chemotherapy, palliative care and oncology consultations available, but the lack of radiotherapy means treatment remains incomplete at the institution.
They urged the administration to ensure that the required equipment is installed at the college at the earliest so that patients from Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama can access comprehensive cancer treatment closer to home.
A doctor from the department of Oncology at GMC Anantnag said the availability of radiotherapy at the institution is important for completing the chain of cancer treatment and reducing the need for patients to travel elsewhere.
He said more than 60 per cent of cancer patients require radiotherapy as part of their treatment, while many others may require radiation later for palliative purposes.
“Cancer treatment is often multimodal. A patient may require surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and palliative care at different stages. Therefore, having these facilities available under one roof is extremely important,” he said.
The doctor said the radiation oncology block at GMC Anantnag is nearing completion and what is primarily required now is the installation of appropriate radiotherapy equipment. “The immediate requirement is a Linear Accelerator and a CT Simulator. Once these are established, GMC Anantnag will be in a much better position to provide comprehensive cancer care,” he said.
The oncology services at GMC Anantnag were initiated in 2019 and became fully operational in 2022. Since then, the department has registered more than 3,500 cancer patients, while over 5,000 chemotherapy sessions have been administered and more than 2,000 palliative procedures performed.
The oncology unit records more than 5,500 OPD consultations annually. An official said the patient registrations at GMC Anantnag are currently second only to GMC Srinagar and are higher than the combined registrations of other peripheral medical colleges.
At GMC Anantnag, upper gastrointestinal and lung cancers account for more than 60 per cent of cases among males, while breast and upper gastrointestinal cancers constitute more than 60 per cent of cases among females.
An official from GMC Anantnag said they had sent the project to the union health ministry but due to some reasons it did not mature, and now they have written to the local government and are hopeful that these facilities will be available at GMC very soon.
Patients said establishing a fully equipped radiotherapy unit at GMC Anantnag would also help reduce pressure on major tertiary-care hospitals in Srinagar and create a stronger regional cancer-care centre in south Kashmir—(KNO)
