This story is from June 12, 2019

Goa Medical College to offer palliative care for cancer patients

In a major step towards providing full-fledged cancer treatment in the state, Goa Medical College (GMC) and hospital, Bambolim, will soon have a palliative care centre. The hospital already houses the state’s lone cancer day-care centre, inaugurated earlier this year, which has come as a huge relief for patients.
Goa Medical College to offer palliative care for cancer patients
Representative image
BAMBOLIM: In a major step towards providing full-fledged cancer treatment in the state, Goa Medical College (GMC) and hospital, Bambolim, will soon have a palliative care centre. The hospital already houses the state’s lone cancer day-care centre, inaugurated earlier this year, which has come as a huge relief for patients.
“We plan to have palliative care centre shortly,” consultant oncologist Dr Anupama Borkar said.

In Goa, the Loutolim-based Shanti Avedna Sadan is one of the private institutions that takes care of advanced terminally ill cancer patients. The other options available to cancer patients in need of palliative care are either a private nursing home or to hire the services of a nurse. For patients and their families already incurring huge expenses towards treatment, this comes as an additional financial burden, one which not all families are able to afford.
Borkar said GMC dean S M Bandekar and the government have been very supportive and made all provisions to get the centre started with required facilities and staff. The unit, she said, will be located in ward 147, close to the day-care facility.
GMC’s outpatient department (OPD) for cancer patients, which was started in 2018, already has nearly 900 patients registered for treatment. Patients who opted to travel out of the state for chemotherapy and other interventions, are now able to avail of the same locally.
The day-care centre consists of seven beds. It operates for 12 hours a day, catering to about 10-15 patients, Borkar said. Most cancer patients whose condition warrants surgery are also operated in the hospital itself. Only complicated cases are referred to a hospital out of the state, she said.

Though Goa has a significant number of cancer cases, it is still lacking a dedicated facility offering the entire gamut of treatment and services. Palliative care becomes imperative for cancer patients in the last stages of the illness. South Indian states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu have some voluntary organisations that have started this facility.
When it comes to lifestyle diseases, Goa ranks on par with metros. On the plus side, there is a high level of awareness, leading to people accessing treatment early. “Rarely, do we see patients approaching us when the disease has advanced. Most approach us early on,” she said.
Breast cancer tops the list of the common cancers in the state, followed by head and neck cancers and lung and blood cancers, Borkar said.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA