TMC's potent helping hand in COVID crisis! Not the West Bengal TMC but govt's 'Tata Memorial Centre'
Total Views |
New Delhi, May 10: The Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) has been contributing significantly during the crisis period triggered due to the Indian variant of the Coronavirus, that has resulted into a harsh surge in the COVID 19 cases for the second wave of infection. The TMC is a tertiary cancer center under the Central govt's Department of Atomic Energy.
On the morning of May 9, a cargo plane landed in Mumbai with 81,000 kgs of medical equipment for Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) and its associated hospitals for distribution across India. The chartered flight carried in 3,400 portable oxygen concentrators along with 300,000 N95 masks. Later, an Air India passenger plane also landed in Delhi with an additional 400 concentrators. These are the third and fourth shipments that Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) has brought in over the past two weeks.
The TMC, besides providing life-saving services, is also sourcing and allocating medical equipment for over 200 hospitals across India that are part of the National Cancer Grid (NCG). Dr Rajendra Badwe, Director of TMC, said, “We have the singular focus of getting these units to the hospitals throughout India so that many can breathe well. This expedient and organized response to the pandemic is fitting with TMC’s role as an 80-year-old institution focused on delivering quality care to all, including the most vulnerable and underserved in the country.
The centre sees up to 100,000 new cancer cases each year. Two thirds of its patients are treated at a highly subsidized rate or completely free of charge. Dr CS Pramesh, Director of Tata Memorial Hospital and also the Coordinator of the National Cancer Grid, said, “We are collecting requests for equipment and consumables from hospitals across the NCG, and mapping the current incidence of Covid-19 infections to determine where the greatest needs are and prioritizing govt and charitable organizations to finalize the allocation of oxygen
concentrators.”
Throughout the pandemic, TMC has been responsible for protecting cancer patients who are far more susceptible to an adverse event from Covid-19 than others. Adding to the risks that Covid-19 presents, the risk of untreated cancer looms large as it can be more fatal than the virus. All seven TMC centres across India; Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Sangrur, Varanasi, Guwahati, Vishakhapatnam and Muzaffarpur, have continued cancer care throughout the pandemic. Together, they have managed to treat over 80,000 patients with cancer in spite of a raging pandemic. In addition, over 2,000 patients with cancer and COVID-19 have been treated for COVID in the various TMC centres.
.
.