Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that his government will provide vaccine to prevent cervical cancer among women in the State.
The government will initiate a vaccination programme based on the model adopted in developed countries in view of the spike in cervical cancer cases in the State, he said in his address after inaugurating the cancer block at the General Hospital, Ernakulam on Monday.
Mr. Vijayan said that it is the responsibility of every individual to practice a health lifestyle as the increase in lifestyle diseases has emerged as a challenge for the healthcare sector. Around 7 lakh persons above the age of 30 are at risk of cancer in the State as per official estimates. The government has launched a comprehensive cancer care programme to tackle the emerging challenges effectively, he said.
The Chief Minister said that the Kerala Cancer Control Strategy, which was implemented in three districts in its pilot phase, has now been extended across the districts. The clinics meant for early detection of cancer are functioning in all government hospitals once in a week. The cancer grid, which connected cancer centres, medical colleges and district hospitals at the taluk level, has been launched as part of the efforts to decentralise the treatment for cancer diseases, he said.
The new cancer block located along Market Road near the General Hospital is spread over 44,000sqft. The building has ground plus five floors. It was set up at a cost of 25 crore under funding by the Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) under the Smart Cities Mission project. The block has 105 beds and two intensive care units dedicated to cancer care.
Ministers P. Rajeeve, M.B. Rajesh, Veena George; Hibi Eden, MP; Mayor M. Anilkumar; MLAs T. J Vinod and K. J Maxie attended the inaugural programme.
