AP government to develop Tirupati as cancer care hub

The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to develop Tirupati as a major hub for cancer treatment. In this regard, the Balaji Institute of Oncology (BIO), a state-of-the-art cancer centre, will provide high-end solutions in the field of genomics, personalised care and targetted therapies. BIO is envisaged to provide a wide range of services from preventive, surgical, medical and radiation oncology. It will be connected to a string of cancer treatment facilities spread out across the state to ensure comprehensive and advanced treatment options are available closer to patients, a statement from Roche has informed.

“Owing to the growing number of cancer patients in India, there is a need for a cancer care ecosystem within individual states. With this initiative, we aim to create a patient-centric cancer institute that will provide standardised and affordable treatment to the patients in their hometown, close to their near and dear ones. The initiative will also reduce the additional burden that comes with travelling to a metro city for treatment facilities,” said Vidadala Rajini, Minister of Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh, in the statement.

Further, the AP government and Roche Pharma jointly organised a workshop on breast cancer continuum of care in Tirupati on 12th November, 2022 to facilitate capacity building, spread awareness and strengthen the cancer care ecosystem in the state. Nearly 200 healthcare professionals attended the workshop to deliberate upon creating awareness about personalised and targetted treatment options in management of breast cancer. Roche Pharma will join AP government to provide support to strengthen cancer care ecosystem in the state with advanced treatment solutions, enhanced capacity building and training programmes for doctors, as per the statement.

The AP government has also enhanced its comprehensive cancer care scheme Arogyasri to provide free treatment for all types of cancers. So far, the government has spent Rs 400 crore on cancer, 25 per cent of the total expenditure. The journey of AP towards comprehensive cancer care started with the inauguration of a cancer centre at Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) by former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Late Dr YS Rajashekar Reddy garu in 2008. It is further augmented by the establishment of an excellent, state-of-the-art cancer centre with Balaji Institute of Oncology (BIO) in 2022 by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh, in Tirupati.

In addition, the statement said that keeping in view the importance of palliative care in cancer management, Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) is also going to start a foundation course in palliative care in partnership with Pallium India next month, and establish a palliative care centre with 30 beds in the beginning.