Nair to be first-ever BMC hospital to set up cancer wing

The long-delayed project has finally received approval and the tender has been floated for the construction of a nine-storey cancer wing at Nair Hospital that will be able to accommodate 100 beds

Thousands of cancer patients who throng Mumbai will soon have a shorter wait for treatment, with the BMC now set to build its first ever specialised cancer wing at Nair hospital. The long delayed project has finally received approval and the tender has been floated for the construction of a nine-storey cancer wing that will be able to accommodate 100 beds. The estimated budget for the facility is Rs 340 crore.

At present, the only public facility that provides cancer treatment is Tata Memorial Hospital. However, due to the ever growing need for cancer treatment, the waiting list of patients runs into months. Taking this into consideration, the BMC had proposed as far back as 2012 to build to a facility at a civic hospital that can provide faster, cost-effective treatment.

The building is to be construed inside the hospital premises. As per the preliminary plan, the building will be constructed in an L-shape, and will also have emergency medical services and separate rooms for chemotherapy and radiology.

"The proposal has been approved and an initial budget of R4 crore has been sanctioned. Once the tender process is completed, the construction will begin," said Dr Ramesh Bharmal, dean of Nair hospital. At present, there are around 30 beds each in the BMC-run KEM, Sion and Nair hospitals for cancer surgeries. As per sources, once Nair's cancer wing is operational, these patients will also be referred there for treatment.

NCP corporator Dr Saeeda Khan, who had tabled the proposal in 2012, stated, "Presently, only Tata Memorial provides full-fledged treatment to cancer patients, along with radiation and chemotherapy. But patients often have to wait for months for treatment, which leads to further deterioration of their condition. A specialised cancer facility under BMC will help to save more lives."

While the cancer wing will finally come to fruition after all these years, another proposal to start a first-of-its-kind virtual autopsy facility at Nair hospital is yet to see the light of day. This would have revolutionised post-mortems in civic hospitals.

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