SPECT FACILITY INAGURATED AT ZULEKHA YENEPOYA INSTITUTE OF ONCOLOGY
The SPECT facility was inaugurated at ZulekhaYenepoya Institute of Oncology on 31 st December2022 in YMCH, Deralakatte, Mangalore., bringing an up gradation to its Nuclear Medicine facility.
The facility was inaugurated by Chief Guest Mr. Rajmohan Unnithan, Member of Parliament, KasaragodLokSabha Constituency, Govt. of India. In his inaugural address he said that “A history has been scripted for Yenepoya with the inauguration of Gamma Camera with SPECT facility. I believe it will help ZulekhaYenepoya institute of Oncology treat patients better”.
The Program began with the invocation. Dr. Jalaluddin Akbar, HOD, Dept. of Surgical Oncology welcomed the guests and the gathering. Dr.Senthinathan, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Nuclear Medicine gave the introductory remarks regarding the Nuclear Medicine facility.
Mr. AKM Ashraf ,MLA Manjeshwar said in his address that “I use to feel difficult when I see people of Manjeshwar go to Trivandrum for Cancer treatment. With this SPECT facility inauguration, people of Northern Kerala will also benefit all due to efforts of Yenepoya for which I am much grateful. I believe that Yenepoya is a University with a humane vision.”
Mr.N A Nellikkunnu ,MLA Kasaragod said Inauguration of SPECT facility would provide better healthcare to cancer patients of Coastal Karnataka and Kerala.”Yenepoya has been providing services to the needy for decades. Service of Yenepoya to people of Kasaragod during the times of Covid-19 will be remembered”.
Note on ZulekhaYenepoya Institute of Oncology – Present Status
Yenepoya (Deemed to be University) through its constituent hospital, Yenepoya Medical College Hospital has been serving cancer patients for the last decade at very affordable costs, with its expert team and highly advanced equipment. The establishment of the ZulekhaYenepoya Institute of Oncology, supported by Tata Trusts is the new milestone achieved by the University. The institute will make quality cancer treatment and care available for the people of the region which includes coastal Karnataka and North Kerala.
Yenepoya Medical College with 1100 bedded hospital has a Cancer Centre attached to it, functioning since January 2016. The Cancer Centre is a 120 beds ward. It offers Community Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Medical Oncology, Haemato Oncology, Onco-pathology and Palliative Care. For the past six years, the cancer centre has been involved in the screening, early detection and management of cancer patients. The high end treatment facilities such as robotic surgery is offered to all the deserving patients including BPL Category. We also have Bone Marrow Transplant facility since 2018. We are the first to establish such a facility in the coastal Karnataka offering our services to the needy.
The University also runs a Mobile Wellness Clinic focusing on early detection of non communicable diseases including cancer with the support of Rotary International and Rotary Club of Mangalore. The University wanted to upgrade the treatment facility with the addition of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine departments. Tata Trusts has supported the Institute with ‘one time ‘grant-in-aid in establishing a Comprehensive Cancer Care Center in the Medical College Hospital at our University campus at Deralakatte. The building has six floors with a built in area of about 36,000 sq.ft. The Center houses two Radiotherapy bunkers and one Brachytherapy bunker. A TrueBeam radiotherapy machine which can offer a more targeted and precise approach to cancer and minimize damage to healthy tissues resulting in fewer complications and time saving and a brachytherapy machine with necessary accessories have been installed and commissioned. The building also has a separate Nuclear Medicine facility including PET CT Scanner, often considered as the one stop solution for cancer imaging with an all body evaluation and Radio Isotope therapy. In addition, a 10 bedded Day Care facility for administering chemotherapy has been established. The whole project has been executed by Tata Trusts through Alamelu Charitable Foundation.
Upgradation of Nuclear Medicine Facility in ZulekhaYenepoya Institute of Oncology
Yenepoya (deemed to be University) has installed SPECT equipment, which is used for studying thyroid, kidney, bone, heart, etc, by using Radio Isotopes. The same machine will be commissioned soon. The nuclear medicine facility also has low dose radio iodine therapy used for treating certain thyroid diseases. Within 3 months, University is planning to add High Dose radio iodine therapy, making the nuclear medicine department as one stop solution for all requirements in the field of Nuclear Medicine.
