Govt to set up a cancer research institute in Chennai

The Centre has allotted Rs 500 crore for establishing a National Cancer Research Institute in Chennai, said Anbumani Ramadoss, Union minister for health and family affairs. The new institute would be coming up in Vepary in two months.

Training will be imparted to nurses, paramedical staff and doctors in the new institute. Treatment will also be provided to the patients at the 300-bed hospital, said Ramadoss.

Delivering his keynote address at the special plenary session on healthcare at the Tamil Nadu Vision Summit, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Tamil Nadu State Council on Saturday, the minister said the government would also set up a vaccine park for manufacturing vaccines and a medical park for indigenous manufacture of medical equipment at Chenglepet near Chennai.

Ramadoss added that the country needs around 100,000 medical graduates and 32,000 specialists every year, but the country at present churns out only 12,000 specialists.

"For a country of one billion population, there are only 3,300 psychiatrists and 800 nephrologists. Also, we need 2.5 million nurses but right now there are only 950,000 nurses," he pointed out.