Mysore:  As many as 60 cancer patients, who have been availing the critical radiation therapy treatment for various forms of killer cancer disease at Radiation, Oncology and Cancer Unit in the State-run K.R. Hospital, are not receiving any treatment. Reason: The radiation machine installed at the Hospital is under repair since the last 10 days.

Economically poor cancer patients from Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar were availing radiation therapy treatment for lung, breast, brain and other cancers at the unit since the last few months. Now they are just bearing the pain as the machine is defunct. The doors of the radiation unit have been closed and patients are turned away.

The machine is worth Rs.5 crore and patients are now forced to undergo radiation therapy at other private hospitals and they say that the treatment at private hospitals was not affordable.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Dr. Rajesh said that the Dean and Director, Mysore Medical College & Research Institute (MMC&RI), has already written a letter to the State Government to repair the machine. The company which manufactures and supplies this machine has quoted Rs.35 lakh for repair.

“Though the company has quoted Rs.35 lakh for repairs, it has not given any guarantee of proper functioning of the machine after spending such a huge amount,” RMO Dr. Rajesh said.

As such, the Dean had written another letter to the Government for the purchase of a new advanced radiation therapy machine instead of repairing the old one. “The Government is likely to sanction money for the purchase of new machine soon,” he said.

Explaining alternative arrangements, Dr. Rajesh said that the Hospital had also written to the manufacturing company to send an additional machine to the Hospital until the arrival of new one so that the patients should not suffer.

“The company has obliged to our request and the additional machine has already reached Bengaluru and it will be installed by tomorrow evening,” he said.

Mitigating the suffering of patients, the doctors have prepared a list of cancer patients who need radiation therapy and have planned to send them to Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) in Mandya and Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS) in Hassan as a temporary arrangement, Dr. Rajesh said.

The Hospital has also collected the mobile phone numbers and addresses of all 60 patients and they will be informed about the latest changes.