Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Cancer patients are being deprived of proper treatment at the Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital and Radioactive machines Idgah Hills, due to the closure of the nuclear medicine department and use of 25-30-year-old obsolete machines for therapy.
Purnendu Shukla, member of the Supreme Court’s monitoring committee on Bhopal gas tragedy victims’ relief, has written to Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, highlighting the dangers posed by outdated infrastructure and lack of regulatory compliance.
The hospital management claims it is searching for a consultant for the nuclear medicine department. However, the Gamma Camera, used for critical tests, has also remained unused due to the department's shutdown. Out of three key radioactive therapy machines — Cobalt THERATRON 780C, Linear Accelerator, and Halcyon — two are 20-25 years old and no longer usable.
The Cobalt unit, in particular, poses a grave risk. The Cobalt THERATRON 780C machine, seized by Customs a year ago, was supposed to be returned under Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) supervision. However, sources say the machine, with radioactive source intact, has remained unattended in the same room for over a year and three months, raising alarm over possible radiation exposure.
Shukla's letter points out the major threat from Cobalt Therapy and Brachytherapy units in the Radiotherapy department, which use up to two Curie strength radioactive material — almost 200 times more potent than what is used in diagnostic isotopic injections. He warned that if radiation leakage takes place, it could severely impact nearby areas.
The hospital is close to a TB hospital and several residential colonies in Idgah Hills, amplifying the danger. Hunt for expert Kishlay Sharma of the hospital’s public relations department said, “We are looking for a consultant to operate the nuclear medicine machines. A PET-CT machine is required to make the department fully functional, but we want an expert who can manage without it. Other therapy machines are working.”
