More speciality hospitals are the need of the hour

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Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar, while addressing the Lok Sabha recently, said there was a need to set up a cancer hospital and research centre on the lines of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in suburban Mumbai, reports stated.

The member of Parliament (MP) from the Mumbai North West constituency said with the increase in the population of Mumbai, the number of cancer patients was also surging, putting pressure on existing hospitals, and leading to delay in treatment for patients. He said setting up of a hospital and centre on the lines of AIIMS should be prioritised.

He highlighted Tata Memorial Hospital but said such facilities are few and therefore are inadequate.

This is surely easier said than done, but there is much merit here. It is true that public health facilities are overburdened and it may be time to start looking at facilities in different parts of this megalopolis. Just like its expanding population, the city is growing too and people need medical access almost everywhere, not just concentrated in an area or two.

Today, we are seeing a ‘shift' in the working map. Commercial hubs once concentrated in South Mumbai are moving Central and North, too. Parts of the demographic are working from their homes, or even ‘remotely' most of the time.

In the same way if affordable healthcare is also made available in different places in the city, this will surely benefit as patients and caregivers will save so much time and delay in getting to the clinics or hospitals.

So many diseases including cancer, of course, can be tackled more effectively if treatment is not delayed and begins quickly.

Bringing amenities closer to people, is one big element in this scenario. This is a point that needs introspection and will be life saving if that can be turned into reality.