Hematology and Medical oncology department will soon be functioning in the PGIMER. The requisite paper work and approval are now at place. It took 30 years to have this department in place in PGIMER. Though, this is first for the PGI and the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, such department had already started in at New Delhi, three decades ago and at Tata Memorial hospital, Mumbai, since the 1970s.
Besides providing care to the cancer patients under one roof, the department will have multiple tumour board where the patients will be provided consultation by a surgeon, radiotherapist and medical oncologist for planning cancer treatment. There will be no need to shuttle. “Prior to this, such patients have to first go to the specialists separately who take time to decide and often the decision is not unanimous. This adds to the woes of the patients,” said Prof Pankaj Malhotra, Head of Clinical Hematology and Medical Oncology.
The Department would also train two specialists in the field of cancer every year. Moreover, as states like Punjab do not have any medical oncologists in any academic set up, such trained doctors will be able to provide services to the states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Confirming about the approval of the department, and congratulating Prof Pankaj Malhotra PGI Director Prof Jagat Ram said, “Heartiest congratulations to Prof Pankaj Malhotra and all team members. Our best wishes to all team members to make Haematology and Medical Oncology; one of the best department in the country. We have got nod from the ministry for the start of medical oncology department, which will benefit many cancer patients coming from the adjoining states.”
Moreover, there are no dedicated beds for cancer patients. The set up of the department will be able to provide the same. In the absence of the department, chemotherapy in the PGI was being done by radiotherapists. “This is not a practice in any of the best world cancer centres. A medical oncologist is trained to handle the complications while giving high doses of the chemotherapy unlike the radiotherapists,’ said Dr Jagat Ram.
“We now have doctors Chandan Das and Gaurav Prakash who are medical oncologists. They will be handling cases pertaining to cancer. Why should the institute lag behind when AIIMS, Tata medical centre and other prestigious hospitals have a separate department for oncology? Once it is set up, dedicate staff will be provided for the department,” PGI director Prof Jagat Ram added further.
Jagat Ram said, “Once the oncology department is established, we will move towards the establishment of surgical oncology.”