Mumbai: A government hospital in Mumbai has become the new destination for affordable and advanced radiotherapy facilities for cancer treatment.

The man behind the transformation is Dilip Nikam, Associate Professor and Head of Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology at the Maharashtra Government's Cama and Albless Hospitals, Grant Govt. Medical College and JJ Group Of Hospitals here.




"It has been my endeavour to convey to my patients and relatives that in government hospitals too, you can have the state of art machinery and can get the best possible treatment," 36 year-old Nikam, who hails from Osmanabad district in Marathwada, told PTI.

Nikam said he convinced 'higher authorities' in the government for need of better infrastructure for cancer treatment and then went on to set up a state of the art department for cancer treatment.

"As cancer treatment is becoming more and more expensive day by day, many cancer patients can't afford treatment at private hospitals. Cancer is treated with multi-modalities including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

"Not many hospitals have radiotherapy facilities due to huge initial investment. In Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane, there is no linear accelerator radiotherapy facility available in government-run hospitals except the Tata Memorial hospital," he claimed.

Advanced radiotherapy techniques like intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image guided radiotherapy (IGRT), volumetric arc radiotherapy (V-MAT) and Respiratory gating are now available at the Cama and Albless hospitals free of cost under the Rajiv Gandhi Yojana and at minimal cost compared to private hospitals, for others, he said.