Health Ministry taking all measures to expand cancer care facilities at state hospitals – Consultant

The Health Ministry is currently taking measures to expand cancer care facilities in the Sri Lankan public sector, Sri Lanka College of Oncologists (SLCO) Secretary Consultant in Haemato-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at the Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama, Dr. Buddhika Somawardana said.

Accordingly, the Government has already taken measures to install state-of-the-art radiation therapy equipment (Linear Accelerator Machines) in selected public hospitals covering the nine provinces. This is a long delayed project and it is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Dr. Somawardana further said that Sri Lanka College of Oncologists (SLCO) in collaboration with the Health Ministry is taking all possible measures to prevent possible inconveniences and delays of radiotherapy treatments for cancer patients during the process of installing new radiotherapy machines and removing the outdated machines.

Dr. Somawardana made these observations at a media conference held at the Health Promotion Bureau.

“Due to the massive financial crisis that prevailed in the country, the previous government made a request to create a list of essential drugs. Accordingly, the SLCO listed certain WHO-approved drugs that are urgently required for cancer treatment in Sri Lanka, as essential medicines. But, as the country is now emerging from its crippling economic crisis, the Health Ministry will also take all measures to expand the list of essential drugs for cancer treatment,” said Dr Somawardana.

Responding to a question by a journalist regarding the haemato-oncology treatments to treat blood cancers and other blood and bone marrow disorders, Dr. Somawardana said that at present there are only four consultant haemato-oncologists in Sri Lanka; three of them are currently working at the National Cancer Institute, Maharagama, while the other doctor is working at the Kandy General Hospital.

Dr. Somawardana highlighted that the number of haemato-oncologists returning to the country after completing their consultant training in various countries is very low. The country lost around nine consultant haemato-oncologists due to the recent economic crisis as well as the unavailability of facilities. This is a common crisis in the other fields as well.

Commenting on the haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) which is most often used to treat people with cancers that affect blood cells, Dr. Somawardana said that the stem-cell transplantation unit at the National Cancer Institute, Maharagama, is the first stem-cell transplantation unit installed at a public hospital in Sri Lanka.

“We have already conducted more than 300 stem-cell transplants at the transplantation unit at the National Cancer Institute, Maharagama. But we have the capacity to double this number. But unfortunately we don’t have the number of doctors required for this purpose and other facilities. It is required to have eight doctors for this unit. But we have only four. Despite these challenges, we were able to continue the transplant service at the National Cancer Institute, Maharagama, even during the pandemic,” he said.

Dr. Somawardana further said that the stem cell transplantation is an extremely expensive procedure and the Government has to spend Rs. 2 million to Rs. 5 million per patient. Since the country has no facilities, some patients have to go overseas, primarily to India, incurring very high costs.

“As Sri Lanka is a small island with 22 million people, it is required to have two or three stem-cell transplant units equipped with all the facilities, and it is useless to establish five or seven such units in various parts of the country without all facilities,” Dr. Somawardana said.

He stressed the importance of taking necessary measures to enhance the facilities of stem-cell transplantation units already established in the country, without further installing more of such units.

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