Indian Express 18.11.2010
Civic body reworks cancer hospital plan, seeks Wadala land
Express News Service Tags : civic run cancer hospital, Andheri land, mumbai Posted: Thu Nov 18 2010, 01:45 hrs
Mumbai: The BMC has reworked its plans for a civic-run cancer hospital. While such a hospital had originally been planned on an Andheri land, later given on lease to the Seven Hills group, the civic body has now approached the government seeking to set up an exclusive women and children’s cancer hospital on a Wadala land occupied by the State AIDS Society. Director of BMC hospitals Dr Sanjay Oak said, “A detailed proposal for the project has been submitted to the government. A specialised cancer hospital is urgently needed, and we feel there is a lot of land in the AIDS Society plot that can be judiciously utilised for this.” He said the hospital would be jointly run by the BMC’s King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM) and Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH). The project would be completely funded by the Tata Hospital under a Directorate of Atomic Energy (DAE) scheme, while staff members from both hospitals would help in running the hospital.The civic body is keen to ensure that the project does not suffer the fate of the abandoned Marol cancer hospital project. Standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale said, “The AIDS epidemic has been controlled to a great extent while the number of cancer cases, particularly among women, are rising. The BMC is determined to see that the project passes through.”
The cancer hospital proposed on a 17-acre Marol plot was scrapped in 2005 owing to paucity of funds and the land was then leased to Seven Hills Group for 60 years.
Sources said the civic body had applied for a lease extension on the state-owned Wadala plot, which now houses three AIDS societies — the Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), the Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS) and Avert Society. “The current lease expires early next year. We have requested for an extension of 99 years for the cancer hospital,”said Shewale.
Incidentally, Shewale had announced the project at a TMH event on Monday, attended by DAE chairman Dr Srikumar Banerjee.
Former state health minister Suresh Shetty said, “Additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar and Dr Sanjay Oak had approached us with the idea. My department had communicated that it seemed like a sound proposal, but had asked for details.”
BMC sources said the total number of beds had not been decided yet. “The idea is still at a nascent stage. We are awaiting a formal confirmation from the state, and then deadlines and other details will be finalised,”Dr Oak said.
