PGIMER oncology dept seeks 6 regular posts of senior resident

Naina Mishra

Chandigarh, April 19

The cancer department at the PGIMER has requested for the creation of six regular posts of senior resident due to the increasing patient load.

Consequently, the Standing Academic Committee has approved the establishment of six DM senior resident positions for the DM clinical haematology in the newly formed Department of Clinical Haematology and Medical Oncology.

The governing body of the institute had created the Department of Clinical Haematology and Medical Oncology in 2021. The department began functioning, despite not being allocated additional senior residents or faculty members. However, the institute mandated the department to propose expansion of the clinical haematology and medical oncology services to provide comprehensive management for patients with cancer and haematological disorders.

Presently, the department manages around 48,000 patient visits annually. The department provides outpatient and inpatient services to haematology and oncology patients. Patients are admitted to various wards, including general medical ward, private ward, haematology high dependency unit, BMT ward and Emergency.

The current manpower in the department consists of six faculty members, six senior residents and three junior residents. The data of previous years also shows a consistent rise in the number of cancer cases seeking medical oncology care at the PGIMER.

As per the PGIMER, the number of cancer patients is projected to increase by 58% during the period from 2011 to 2026. On the basis of population-based cancer registry report-2013, which is developed by the PGIMER and Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Chandigarh is placed among the top three cities/regions with respect to cancer incidence of various organs. In fact, for cancer of breast and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the age-adjusted cancer incidence rates in Chandigarh are even higher than New Delhi.

According to the proposal, such a rapid rise in cancer cases urgently call for an upgradation and augmentation of cancer care facilities and creation of more healthcare professionals trained in management of various cancers.

Medical oncology services at the PGIMER have seen rapid expansion with the launch of a new medical oncology clinic in August 2021, registering 173 cases within two weeks. With this momentum, the PGIMER expects to register 5,000-6,000 patients annually initially, with numbers potentially reaching 8,000-10,000 in subsequent years.