Kalam In Coimbatore
Cancer survivors lighting lamps to mark Cancer Survivors’ Day in Coimbatore. Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will open on May 1 here a Golden Jubilee Block of the Valavadi Narayanaswamy Cancer Centre at the G. Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital. The block has been constructed as part of the centre’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will open on May 1 here a Golden Jubilee Block of the Valavadi Narayanaswamy Cancer Centre at the G. Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital.
Hospital Dean Ramkumar Raghupathy, Medical Superintendent T.B. Ramakrishnan and the centre’s Director T. Balaji told presspersons on Tuesday that Mr. Kalam will be chief guest at a function organised to also mark the launch of a telemedicine facility in association with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and stem cell transplantation facility. The jubilee celebrations of the cancer centre began in January this year. From then till now, the various activities held included the observance of the Cancer Survivors’ Day, a cancer carnival, health awareness talk and cancer screening camps.
The hospital authorities said that the new block had a day care chemotherapy ward with eight beds and four rooms with eight beds for patients with low blood count, immuno-suppressed patients and children with blood cancer. The entire cancer wing had 77 beds. Since its opening in 1958 to 2007, the centre had treated more than three lakh patients. In the days to come, the centre would hold a cancer awareness rally, observe a cancer palliative care day and a cancer childrens’ day. The jubilee celebrations would end in December.
The telemedicine facility had been planned to benefit patients in rural centres of the hospital at Anaikatti and No.4 Veerapandi. As these centres were in remote villages, the facility would be of help to those in need of specialised consultation. The hospital explained that telemedicine was a rapidly developing application of clinical medicine wherein medical information was transferred through telephone, internet or other networks for the purpose of consulting or even for medical examination and procedures.
Telemedicine used communication and information technology for delivery of clinical care. The hospital had requested ISRO for providing it with VSAT connectivity for this project. A memorandum of understanding signed between the hospital and ISRO would be exchanged on May 1, in the presence of Mr. Kalam. There were plans for networking with Tata Memorial Hospital and Adyar Cancer Institute.
