- Adyar Cancer Institute
Adyar Cancer Institute is a
cancer specialty hospital situated in the city ofChennai ,India .Foundation
Adyar Cancer Institute was started by Dr.
Muthulakshmi Reddy onJune 18 ,1954 . Dr. Muthulakshmi was India's first female medical graduate and a prominent social reformer.Several firsts
The Institute's first break came on
December 24 ,1956 , when Atomic Energy,Canada , gifted a Cobalt-60Teletherapy unit (radiation therapy machine). It was the first such unit inAsia .The Institute has several other firsts to its credit. They include:
*A department of Nuclear Medical
Oncology in 1956;
*Paediatric oncology in 1960;
*Installing alinear accelerator in 1976;
*Introducing Blood Component Therapy in 1978;
*Introducinghyperthermia treatment in 1984;
*Installing an ND-YAG Surgical Laser in 1985 and performing endoscopic laser surgery;
*The only institute where Intra-operative Electron Therapy is available since 1992.Present facilities
The Institute has a hospital, a research centre, a centre of preventive oncology, and a College of Oncology Sciences (a postgraduate college that conducts super-speciality courses in surgical oncology and medical oncology).
Its centre for preventive oncology has been working in conjunction with non-government organisations and government hospitals to conduct cancer screening camps and
Pap smear tests at the district level and in various parts of the city.The Institute's hereditary cancer clinic, the first in the country, is studying the genetic factors related to the disease.
The Tobacco Cessation Clinic has been helping people to fight various forms of
tobacco consumption, which is the most common cause for cancer.Annually, more than 95,000 to 100,000 patients from all parts of India visit the hospital; hardly 0.5% of whom are covered by
health insurance . In fact, only 15–20% of the population can afford treatment at private hospitals. The rest must depend on hospitals like the Adyar Cancer Institute or government hospitals, where treatment is either free or subsidised. The Institute has 428 beds, of which 297 are free. Last year alone saw nearly 100,000 patients, of which 60% received free treatment. The number of patients coming to the hospital has increased each year. Generally, 66% of them get free or subsidised treatment.Recognition
In
2005 , Dr.V Shanta , honorary chairperson of the Cancer Institute, was awarded theRamon Magsaysay Award .Links
[http://cancerinstitutewia.org Cancer Institute Home Page]
[http://www.cifwia.org/aboutus/history/history.php Cancer Institute Donor Site]
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