Govt to compile registry of cancer patients

Thiruvananthapuram: The government Wednesday said that it plans to compile a registry of cancer patients in the state as part of efforts to codify its various initiatives against the deadly disease.

A panel of eminent oncologists, led by Dr Paul Sebastian, the director of Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) here, has been formed to compile the registry, Health Minister V S Sivakumar told the Assembly Wednesday.

"We have formed a committee of oncologists for the compilation of the registry and codify various initiatives of the government as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the disease," he said.

"The panel has been asked to submit its report within six months. Further proceedings will be decided based on the report," the minister said in a reply to a calling attention motion by Abdul Samad Samadani of IUML.

He said there are around 1.5 lakh cancer patients in the state at present and around 50,000 new patients are registering annually.

As many as 15,940 cancer patients had been registered at RCC here alone, he said.

The minister said the Congress-led UDF government is giving utmost significance to cancer treatment and that medicines worth Rs 10 crore have been distributed to the needy free of cost under various schemes in the state annually.