Madhya Pradesh: Government Medical Colleges Lack Cancer Care, Life-Saving Equipment

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Despite government claims of offering tertiary healthcare, government medical colleges across Madhya Pradesh lack essential life-saving facilities and advanced cancer treatment equipment.

Machines like Linear Accelerator (LINAC) and brachytherapy units—vital for radiation therapy in cancer treatment—are not available in any government medical college in the state, including the prestigious Gandhi Medical College (GMC), Bhopal. In addition, functional blood bank units and blood separators are missing in several newly established colleges, severely hampering emergency and surgical care.

A Linear Accelerator (LINAC) is crucial for delivering targeted radiation in cancer therapy. Brachytherapy, often referred to as "breaky treatment" in local usage, involves placing radioactive material directly inside or near a tumour, offering high-dose, localised treatment.

Sources in the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) and Health Department confirmed the unavailability of LINAC and brachytherapy across government medical institutions. New medical colleges in Neemuch, Mandsaur, Shivpuri, Singrauli and Shahdol reportedly lack even basic blood bank facilities, including separators.

Dr Kavita Singh, Dean of GMC Bhopal, said, “Linear accelerator is not available in GMC, but tender has been floated. We expect it soon.”

Dr Nagendra Singh, medical superintendent of Shahdol Medical College, said, “Even our blood bank unit is not functional. We do not have a blood separator in our medical college, which serves a prominent tribal region.”

However, Health Commissioner Tarun Rathi claimed, “Government has provided blood separators in all medical colleges. Only Singrauli’s case is under process.”