YCMH to have digital cancer screening soon

A digital screening centre will be opened in Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH), run by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) next year.

In a meeting held at the hospital on Wednesday, the hospital committee directed the civic administration to secure all requisite approvals for starting the screening centre for cancer patients before February 20.

Municipal commissioner Ashish Sharma, chief medical officer, Dr Nagkumar Kunchagi, medical director RR Iyer, standing committee chief Prashant Shitole and other civic officials and corporators were present at the meeting.

Shitole told reporters, “The final decision will be taken after a presentation is made before (guardian minister) Ajit Pawar on December 30, who is expected to give his suggestions for the project.”  The health department gave a presentation of the
screening centre.

Congress corporator Babu Nair wanted to know why the civic body is not constructing a cancer hospital. Sharma said it will require an investment of Rs50 crore. Hence, the PCMC has decided to start a screening centre and a provision of Rs15 crore will be made. The cancer hospital will be constructed in the future, he added.

Kunchagi said, “The centre will provide free facility to all women. It will be operational in the next year. It will also help in conducting screening camps in Pimpri-Chinchwad.’’

Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai has also shown willingness to provide help for free. It will be the first digital cancer screening centre in the country, Shitole claimed.

Around 1,500 cancer patients come to YCMH for treatment annually.