Lack of radiotherapy in IndiaImage Credit Source: Getty Images
Radiotherapy machine shortage India: Treatment of cancer in India is still struggling with many challenges. The recent report of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revealed the shocking truth that radiotherapy is not being used extensively in the treatment of cancer in the country. This shows that there is a huge decrease in the use of radiotherapy compared to the increasing rate of cancer in India, due to which patients are not getting timely and proper treatment.
The report also emphasizes that the government and health institutions will have to increase investment in radiotherapy resources to treat cancer. According to the standard of WHO, there should be at least 1 radiotherapy machine on a million population- the target is 4 per million. India’s estimated population will be around 1.45 billion by 2025. So we need at least 1,450 machines. ICMR’s study states that we will need 1,585 to 2,545 machines in total, sometimes this number can go from 2,016 to 2,291.
Only 28.5% of patients are getting radiotherapy
Cancer is the fifth biggest cause of death in the country. Well-known magazine called BMC Cancer It has been said in the report published in India that only 28.5 percent of cancer patients in India are given radiotherapy, while 58.4 percent of patients are needed. That is, less than half of the patients are getting this treatment, which is becoming a major obstacle in the control and treatment of cancer.
Which cancer cases require radiotherapy?
The report also reported that in India, about 60 percent of patients need radiotherapy in breast cancer, head and neck cancer, lung cancer and cervical cancer cases. All these are very common and rapid spreading forms of cancer, whose radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment.
Heavy shortage of machines, resources needed
Researchers at ICMR believe that there is also a huge shortage of resources and trained technicians providing radiotherapy facilities in India. This shortage is further increasing the inequality of treatment between urban and rural areas. Lack of machines and staff has become a serious problem, especially in government hospitals.
What steps can be taken?
- Add radiotherapy facilities to government health schemes.
- Develop indigenous machine technology so that there is a shortage of expensive imports.
- Accelerate cancer screening and early detection programs so that patients can get the tritration in advance.
- Install radiotherapy centers away from states and big cities so that service access increases.
- Increase the number of machines, qualified resourdists, physicists and technicians in existing cancer hospitals.