Safdarjung reopens its radiotherapy unit

Shut since November 2015, the opening of the radiotherapy department in Safdarjung hospital on Thursday is good news for cancer patients. The unit at the hospital was closed for not complying with the directives of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) on safety measures.

As a result, AERB which is responsible for implementation of safety norms in hospitals, in a notice to the hospital ordered that it stopped admitting new patients for radiation therapy, sources at Safdarjung Hospital said.

"The radiotherapy services have resumed. We have procured the AERB's permission to use this machine for the treatment of patients suffering from cancer. Around ten patients have started undergoing therapy since it was opened," Dr A K Rai, the medical superintendent said.

On an average, the hospital gets around 30 patients in a day and over 120 in a week for radiation therapy. But problems remain. It does not have a treatment planning system (TPS) for precise administration of dosage and has been using cobalt-60 machines for radiotherapy services for the last several years.

India currently reports around 11 lakh new cancer cases and five lakh deaths due to lack of treatment or delayed diagnosis.