Health Ministry accused of planning to procure outdated machines to treat cancer patients

Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament yesterday that government hospitals treating cancer patients continued to use Cobalt radiation therapy which was currently not used even when treating animals with cancer in foreign countries.

Making a special statement, Premadasa said that the commonly-used method to treat cancer patients was Linear Accelerator (LINAC) method. This technology is available at Jaffna, Batticaloa, Karapitiya and Kandy hospitals. “However, we have noted that in other hospitals the Cobalt radiation method is still used. This method is now outdated. It is not used even on animals suffering from cancer in other countries. The government should provide LINAC machines to Badulla, Ratnapura, Hambantota, Kurunegala and Anuradhapura hospitals at least. We have information that a group of officials in the Health Ministry are supporting plans to buy more Cobalt machines. They do so under the excuse of lower cost. A LINAC machine costs around Rs 700 million and a Cobalt radiation machine costs only half the amount. However, it is an outdated technology. I request the Minister in charge to stop this. In addition, there are moves to buy some other radiation machines known as Panacea radiation from India. The Panacea machines are not used even in India for cancer treatment,” Premadasa said.