Srinagar, June 24 (KNS): A lawyer of Jammu and Kashmir High Court has urged the government to create all three sections of Oncology at GM Handwara and Udhampur, which have not been mentioned during establishment of these colleges.
In a letter, a copy of which lies with Kashmir News Service (KNS), advocate Imtiyaz Ahmad Sofi has said that it is appreciable that government of Jammu and Kashmir has started the process of establishing Government Medical Colleges at Handwara and Udhampur.
“It is welcome step, especially Handwara being a far-flung area of the valley will get more benefited by establishing the college. But it is amazing that although almost every speciality has been created, surgical oncology and medical oncology specialties have no mention,” reads the letter.
It reads that the role of surgical oncologist is well established in the management of cancer, which involves multidisciplinary approach by utilizing the expertise of surgical oncologist, medical oncologist and radiation oncologist under one roof to provide better care to the cancer patients.
“Creating one speciality without other two is like having an anaesthetist without a surgeon or surgeon without an anaesthetist resulting in loss of resources and loss of benefit to the patients as well.”
It reads that there is a need to have many radiation units to overcome the shortage in the state, but surgical oncology and medical oncology can be created using basic infrastructure like that of General Surgery and General Medicine.
“It is essential for the administration to think and have all the three specialties (Surgical Oncology, Medical Oncology and Radiation Oncology) under one roof as cancer is rampant and needs special care in the context of prevention, screening and effective and scientific treatment,” it reads. (KNS)