Rajini inaugurates 3D mammography unit

PNS|Guntur

Minister for Health Vidadala Rajani on Monday inaugurated the newly-installed 3D digital mammography machine and an X-ray unit at the Natco Cancer Hospital in the GGH premises.

The Rs 1 crore worth of medical equipment was jointly donated by Gattipati Kasturi Devi, Ramamohan Rao, Shiva Rama Krishna and the Hyderabad-based Natco Trust.

Speaking on the occasion, the Health Minister asked the women to consult doctors if they have doubts over breast cancer. Breast cancers could be detected by diagnosis using the 3D digital mammography equipment.

The Natco Trust constructed the cancer centre with international standards at a cost of Rs 45 crore and handed over it to the government and Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy formally inaugurated the centre on July 1 2020, she said. Since then Rs 2.50 crore worth of medicine had been given to the patients free of cost, the health minister claimed.

The minister said that about 60 to 70 patients come to the cancer centre daily for radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment, adding that breast cancer is more recorded in women and also more deaths occur.

Modern medical devices are available to diagnose cancer in ten minutes, she said and appreciated the Natco Trust for their contribution.

She said that Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had brought many reforms in the health sector and 3255 diseases were being treated under the Arogyasri scheme. Rs 1000 crore had been spent during the last three years on cancer treatment only, she said, adding that there are 11 medical colleges in the state, which have medical oncology, radiation oncology and surgical oncology.

She said an agreement was reached with Homi Bhabha Hospital to provide cancer treatment in Visakhapatnam as well. MLAs Undavalli Sridevi, Maddali Giridhar and Natco Trust trustee KV Swathi also spoke.

State Madhya Vimochana Prachara Committee Chairman V Lakshman Reddy, Natco representative Sadashiva Rao, RDO Prabhakar Reddy and GGH Superintendent Prabhavati were among those who were present.