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Oncology
dept is a must in medical colleges: ISO
Rita
Dutta - Mumbai
ISO
demands to include oncologists in chalking govt policy
to combat cancer
To
combat the menace of cancer, Indian Society of Oncology
(ISO), an association of around 1,600 oncologists, has
demanded that a department of oncology be made compulsory
in all the medical colleges in the country. ISO has also
called for oncology to be taught at the under graduate
level of medical education, and stressed for inclusion
of oncologists while drafting government policy to tackle
cancer. A proposal to this effect has been recently submitted
to the ministry of health and family welfare.
Experts
say introduction of oncology at the undergraduate level,
to be supported by a full-fledged department of oncology,
would encourage more students to take up oncology as a
specialty at the post graduate level. As of now, only
the 16 regional cancer centres and about nine medical
colleges in India offer post graduate degree in oncology.
Says Dr Deepak Parikh, member of ISO, oncosurgeon at Lilavati
hospital, "Since oncology is not taught at the MBBS
level, students have little knowledge of cancer treatment.
This lack of exposure has snowballed into students not
opting for specialisation in oncology."
 Experts
emphasise on more oncology teaching institutes to meet
the scarcity of specialists in this field. While there
are around 2.5 lakh new cases of cancer every year, India
sadly has around 1,800 oncologists only, with about 22
oncologists added to the existing list every year. Experts
say that the number of oncologists need to multiply ten
times, if India is to address the disastrous 20 lakh new
cases by the year 2020, as predicted by the World Health
Organization.
Says
Dr S Advani, head of medical oncology, Jaslok hospital,
"Seventy per cent of the cancer in Indians is due
to lifestyle defects. If we have more oncologists, then
so many lives can be saved by early detection."
ISO
has also demanded that oncologists be included in the
advisory body of the government to help bureaucrats in
chalking cancer control programme. Says Dr Sanjay Sharma,
secretary, ISO and oncologist at Jaslok hospital, "For
a concerted effort in fighting cancer, the government
must include oncologists from government and semi-government
hospitals in the advisory committee. The government needs
to become more pro-active and aggressive in the fight
against cancer, and this can be achieved best by involving
oncologists on the panel."
For
the advisory body, ISO has suggested a four to five member
committee from different zones. "The life style pattern
of different zones is different and hence the cancer pattern
is also different. A member from each zone would have
a better idea about the ways to combat the disease and
would be more efficient in chalking cancer control policy,"
says Dr Parikh.
However,
implementation is better said than done, as introduction
of an oncology department has many a hurdles in the Indian
scenario. "One needs to have experts in the teaching
faculty, and right now India is short of manpower with
inadequate number of oncologists. How many colleges can
afford to establish an oncology department? A full fledged
department is an expensive proposition requiring most
sophisticated equipment," opines an oncologist. |
