|
To meet an urgent felt-need of Central Kerala in the year 2000 Caritas Hospital Trust began planning for a Caritas Cancer Institute attached to the Caritas Hospital. All essential Oncology Departments such as Medical, Surgical, Radiation as well as Pain and Palliative Care were included in the project with an estimated cost of Rs.11.32 crores (Us$26,33,000).
We appealed to people in India and abroad for financial contributions. The responses were encouraging especially with the substantial contribution from the Italian Bishops' Conference. With the grants received also from some other funding agencies and collections raised from the faithful of our parishes and emigrants to other parts of India and abroad, we could raise over 80% of the target amount and implement the project. The Caritas Cancer Institute was inaugurated on February 24, 2003.
In these past five years, the Caritas Cancer Institute has functioned very well to the satisfaction of all concerned. Thousands of financially poor patients affected with the deadly disease of cancer received effective treatment and solace. In the beginning from 2003, in the single Linac we have, radiation was given on an average to 40 cancer patients per day. Now that has steadily increased to 70 patients per day. Again with a financial share from the Italian Bishops' Conference and other agencies, a second Linac is going to be installed soon to meet the growing demand of the Cancer patients. | 
