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Indian Express
19-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Chemotherapy training begins for Delhi doctors under PM's cancer day care centre initiative
As a part of establishing cancer day care centres announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget speech, the Delhi State Cancer Institute has begun training doctors from Delhi hospitals for providing chemotherapy to patients at the District Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs). The training is being imparted under PM's cancer day care centre initiative to four General Duty Medical Officers (GDMOs) and Nursing Officers from Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Rao Tula Rao, Janakpuri Super Speciality Hospital and Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya Hospital. Dr Diwakar, Director, Delhi State Cancer Institute, said on Friday that this was the first such initiative in Delhi where training is being provided to doctors to provide chemotherapy for cancer day care centres. The training at Delhi State Cancer Institute is being conducted in batches over the coming months and will continue till November. According to Dr Diwakar, the move has been taken to strengthen cancer care services across the country and hands-on training on chemotherapy. He said the first batch comprises four medical officers and four nursing officers from four different DCCC centres. 'The training is designed to equip frontline healthcare professionals with essential skills in chemotherapy drug handling, patient monitoring, and clinical management, in alignment with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW),' he said. Dr Diwakar said the move will enhance the clinical competence of healthcare providers at the grassroots level, especially in outer areas, where early and effective cancer intervention is crucial. 'We will first stabilise the patients at our centre and from here we can transfer the patients to these day care centres where trained staff and doctors will look after the patients undergoing chemotherapy,' he said. In February, Minister Sitharaman had announced the establishment of day-care centers for cancer treatment at all district hospitals over the next three years. This initiative aims to improve access to essential cancer treatments, while also easing the heavy patient burden on large tertiary care hospitals in metropolitan cities. 'Two hundred centres will be set up in 2025-26,' Sitharaman had said.
New Indian Express
18-07-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Delhi to launch day care cancer centres in four hospitals
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government is set to roll out dedicated day care centres for cancer patients in four of its hospitals. The initiative, part of a central government scheme, aims to decentralise cancer care and bring chemotherapy and radiotherapy services closer to the community. The Delhi State Cancer Institute has been appointed as the nodal agency to oversee the implementation of the project. The district-level day care cancer centres will come up at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Janakpuri Super Specialty Hospital, Rao Tula Ram Memorial Hospital and Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital. Unlike the current system where chemotherapy is largely confined to tertiary care or specialist hospitals, these new centres will allow patients to access free chemotherapy within their district. Under the model, the first chemotherapy cycle will be administered in the parent hospital where the patient is registered. Subsequent sessions will then be available at the nearby day care centres. Officials said the programme is expected to significantly ease both logistical and financial burdens on patients, especially those from economically weaker sections. In private hospitals, one session of chemotherapy can cost nearly Rs 50,000.
Time of India
18-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Healthcare staff undergo chemotherapy training for Day Care Cancer Centres
New Delhi: Delhi State Cancer Institute (DSCI) will begin hands-on chemotherapy training for doctors and nursing staff from Friday in a bid to set up Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) across the city. The initiative is part of a national rollout announced in the Union Budget, under which 200 DCCCs are set to be established in district hospitals during 2025-26 to expand access to cancer care and reduce the load on tertiary hospitals. DSCI has been designated the nodal training centre under the Prime Minister's DCCC initiative. "This initiative aims to enhance the capacity of healthcare professionals in cancer care, focusing on safe chemotherapy drug handling, patient monitoring, and toxicity management, in line with MoHFW guidelines," said Dr Diwakar, director, DSCI. According to a health department order, 28 healthcare professionals, including general duty medical officers (GDMOs) from four govt hospitals-Janakpuri Super Speciality, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Rao Tula Ram, and Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital-will undergo training in four batches between July 18 and Nov 19. "This is a novel approach by the govt to decentralise cancer care," said Dr Pragya Shukla, head of clinical oncology at DSCI and in charge of the training programme. The training will include chemotherapy drug administration, monitoring, and managing treatment-related toxicities.
Hindustan Times
24-04-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Cabinet to consider plan for free MRIs at all Delhi govt hospitals today
To address the acute shortage of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines in Delhi's 36 government hospitals — a gap that often pushes patients toward expensive private diagnostics — Delhi health minister Pankaj Singh said on Wednesday that a proposal to roll out MRI services across all state-run hospitals will be placed before the cabinet on Thursday. If cleared, the health department will float tenders for procurement and installation of MRI machines, enabling patients to access the crucial scans free of charge. Around 20 hospitals are expected to receive the machines in the first phase. More details will be shared following the cabinet's approval, the Delhi health minister said. 'We have prepared a proposal to introduce MRI machines in government hospitals. Once approved, tenders will be issued for procurement and installation,' Singh told HT on Wednesday. Senior officials at Delhi government's health department confirmed the plan, and said it aims to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses for patients on diagnostic tests. Currently, only three government hospitals — including Lok Nayak, GB Pant, and Indira Gandhi Hospital — are equipped with MRI machines, according to health department officials. At present, the wait time at these hospitals for an MRI scan can range from anywhere from 30 days to six months. At GB Pant hospital, it can take a month or two for patients to get an MRI scan done, officials at the hospital, on condition of anonymity said. At Lok Nayak hospital, the situation is worse. Only if it is a life threatening situation that the hospital gets an MRI done on an urgent basis, which too might take a week. 'But, in elective cases, the wait time can be six months to one year,' an official at the hospital said, asking not to be named. Officials at the Indira Gandhi Hospital refused to respond to HT's query on the wait time. MRI scans, an essential diagnostic test that relies on strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed internal images, cost upwards of ₹5,000 in private diagnostic centres. But at government hospitals, where available, the scans are offered for free. 'MRI scans are vital for diagnosing cardiac, neurological, and orthopedic conditions. On average, we receive 25–30 MRI cases daily,' said a senior doctor from GB Pant Hospital's cardiology department. An RTI (Right to Information) query filed by activist Aman Kausik in February 2025 revealed that major hospitals — including Delhi State Cancer Institute, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, GTB Hospital, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Guru Gobind Singh Hospital, and Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital — lack MRI facilities altogether. In the absence of in-house MRI services, patients are either referred to private diagnostic centres or covered under the Delhi Arogya Kosh (DAK) scheme, which offers free scans to eligible residents with a family income of up to ₹3 lakh. 'We receive at least 20–30 patients daily for CT scans, and even for that, we have only one machine. MRI, being a more advanced diagnostic tool, isn't available at our hospital. So we either refer patients through the DAK scheme or advise them to approach private centres,' said an official from GTB Hospital. Similar constraints were reported at the Delhi State Cancer Institute and several other institutions.'A significant number of patients we see either do not reside in Delhi or are ineligible under the DAK scheme. In such cases, we're unable to refer them for subsidised scans and often have to direct them to private diagnostic centres,' said an official from the Delhi State Cancer Institute, requesting anonymity
