New Delhi, Aug 7 Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V.K Saxena on Monday visited Lok Nayak Hospital (LNH) and took stock of the recently installed modern Linear Accelerator and CT Simulator Machine (LINAC) for treatment of cancer patients.
The L-G instructed the Director to optimise its utilisation by making it function in multiple shifts.
The LINAC was procured recently at a cost of Rs 38.7 crore provided by the Government of India and is meant to provide latest radiotherapy to patients.
However, the machine has been facing several teething problems and operational issues including voltage fluctuations which has led to the machine faltering on many occasions, requiring technicians to be called from USA for its.
The machine also lacks of sufficient trained manpower to operate the machine. It has led to the machine being used for treating just 18 patients in the last one month since its installation against its capacity of serving 10-15 patients per shift.
The L-G visited the hospital during a visit to the Dilli Gate-JLN Marg-Asaf Ali Road area.
The L-G instructed the Director to run the LINAC to its optimum capacity for the speedy treatment of the cancer patients, who have been waiting in queue for their radiotherapy.
The machine provides targeted laser-guided beam radiotherapy, which specifically targets the cancer cells only and does not destroy the surrounding healthy tissue.
This 360 degrees rotatory radiotherapy machine can be used for treatment of any type for cancer.
The LG asked for more technicians to be trained for operating the machine and instructed that in the interim four more personnel be sent to Mumbai for a two-months training immediately.
The annual footfall of patients in Radiotherapy Department of LNH is nearly 20,000 while the inpatient count stood at 1384. This new state of art LINAC unit is one of the best in Delhi.
The existing Radiation Oncology Department of LNH has been upgraded to Tertiary Care Centre (TCC) with 100 per cent funding provided by the Government of India under National Programme for Preservation & Control of Cancer Patients, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases & Stroke (NPCDCS).
A grant-in-aid of Rs. 38.7 crore was allotted to the LNH for procurement of two machines namely Modern Linear Accelerator and CT simulator, hich have been installed in the department last month.
The state-of-the-art Modern Linear Accelerator (True Beam) is the most advanced high energy X-ray and electron generating machine which offers the most precise and accurate Radiotherapy treatment.
The machine will be useful for most the common cancers like brain tumours, head and neck cancers, breast cancer, gastrointestinal tumours, male and female genitourinary cancer and paediatric tumours.
These machines will be a boon for poor cancer patients as treatment with these advanced machines costs around Rs two lakhs or more in corporate hospitals and this facility for the treatment is available free of cost in the LNH.
This advanced machine is not available in any other government hospital in Delhi.
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