Cancer specialists trained without practice at Hamidia:Dual LINAC yet to be ordered, 1,500 cancer patients receive only consultation

More than 1,500 cancer patients reach Gandhi Medical College (GMC) in the state capital every month hoping for treatment, but due to the absence of radiation facilities they are receiving only OPD consultations. The cobalt machine has been defunct for years, the brachytherapy unit has also been lying shut, and the dual-energy LINAC machine has not yet been ordered. As a result, patients are being forced to turn to AIIMS or private cancer hospitals for radiation therapy. The situation has become so serious that students are also not getting clinical exposure. Meanwhile, authorities claim that a new radiation bunker is ready and a ₹25-crore high-tech unit will be launched soon. The old cobalt machine has been out of order for years and preparations are now underway to decommission it. The brachytherapy machine has also remained shut for the past year. As a result, even after surgery, patients are being referred to other institutions for radiation treatment. GMC Dean Dr Kavita N Singh said the bunker is ready and machines will be installed soon. AIIMS or private hospitals are the only options for patients Patients requiring radiation therapy have no option but to go to AIIMS or private cancer hospitals. AIIMS already faces heavy patient load, resulting in long waiting periods. If patients opt for private hospitals, they have to bear an additional expense of ₹1.5 to ₹2 lakh. For economically weaker families, this has become a major crisis. Students not getting patient experience The situation is also affecting medical education. The National Medical Commission (NMC) had cancelled recognition of all four PG seats in oncology at GMC in the previous academic session. The seats were later restored this session after the college administration assured that a new LINAC machine would soon be installed. However, since the machine has not yet been ordered, PG students are not getting practical exposure to radiation therapy. Doctors at Hamidia Hospital say the administration has been informed about the issue through official correspondence. Machine in five colleges, GMC lags behind Dual LINAC machines were proposed for five medical colleges in the state. According to information, orders have already been issued for machines at four other colleges, but no order has yet been placed for Gandhi Medical College. This situation has raised concerns for the state capital’s largest government medical college. High-tech Radiation Bunker is Ready Meanwhile, the GMC and Hamidia Hospital administration claim that a major step has been taken towards improving cancer treatment. The radiation bunker has been completed and built according to the standards of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). The bunker has been constructed with three-metre-thick solid concrete walls and special shielding to safely control high-energy radiation. The surrounding walls are also one and a half metres thick. An AERB team will soon inspect the facility, and once approval is granted, the process of installing the machine will begin. 25 Crore Dual Energy Linear Unit A modern dual-energy LINAC machine costing around ₹25 crore is planned to be installed at Hamidia Hospital. This machine targets tumours precisely using two types of radiation energy. Experts say the technology allows radiation to focus directly on cancer cells while causing minimal damage to healthy tissues. PET-CT and Brachytherapy also proposed Apart from the LINAC machine, a PET-CT scan unit and a new brachytherapy facility are also proposed. PET-CT scans help determine the stage and spread of cancer more accurately. If these facilities become operational, patients from Bhopal as well as nearby districts will benefit. Serious Cancer Situation in the State According to the cancer registry of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), about 1,54,567 patients in Madhya Pradesh require immediate cancer treatment. Around 4,350 of them are in Bhopal alone. Nearly 3,500 deaths occur every month in the state due to cancer. In such a situation, the absence of radiation facilities at the capital’s leading medical college raises serious questions about the healthcare system and also affects the future of both patients and medical students.