Our Mission
In a country like India, home to a billion people, the government cannot be expected to shoulder the full burden of financing and maintaining front-line medical centres. The mission of the MCIRC is to establish a charitable, non-profit, fully-equipped cancer hospital and research centre, that will provide poor cancer patients in the northern part of Kerala with free treatment and care.
1 million new cancer patients are detected in India every year - 80% of them in advanced stages of the disease. Cancer surgery and related treatment modalities need special facilities and specially skilled medical and para-medical personnel: services that are not available in ordinary nursing homes and general hospitals. It is also beyond the scope of medical colleges to come to grips with the full extent, range and complexity of this menace called cancer.
Initiative from private organizations and individuals will play a decisive role in providing an adequate network of quality cancer care throughout India. North Kerala alone has an adult population of 10 million and half the amount of children. The MCIRC aims at providing free medical care for the destitute cancer patients of this region.
 Staff of The MCIRC |
History
The need to set up a non-profit cancer centre in North Kerala has long been felt by Dr.Hafsath Kaderkutty a non-resident Indian gynaecologist presently running her own medical centre in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Her ideas and ideals were met with cynical scepticism from many quarters. But determination, commitment and perseverance, together with the strong support and backing of friends and family has resulted in the translation of a cherished dream into reality.
In 1996, Dr. Hafsath and her husband got together with some like-minded people to work out the modus operandi for setting up the MCIRC. The MCIRC Trust was formally formed and registered on 10th April, 1996. The cost estimate for the total project was calculated to be Rs.50 crores. The project will have to be completed in stages in tandem with the availability of funds. Since the vast majority of cancer detection among the poor is in advanced stages of the disease, the first phase of the MCIRC was targetted towards setting up a ward for palliative care and an out-patient block.
The foundation stone for the first MCIRC building(Out-patient block and Pain & Palliative ward) was laid by her Excellency, the Governor of TamilNadu, Justice Fatima Beevi in October, 1997 |
The MCIRC Trust has acquired 7.34 acres of land at Kanniparamba amongst rich, lush green, natural splendour, situated 10 kms away from Calicut Medical College. The foundation stone for a 3-storey building - the first phase of the project - was laid by her Excellency, the Governor of TamilNadu, Justice Fatima Beevi on 4th October 1997. The basic structure of the first MCIRC building has been completed.
Inauguration of the Pain and Palliative Care ward, by His Excellency, Governor of Kerala, Justice Sukhdev Singh Kang on 12th August, 2001 |
The Pain and Palliative Care ward, inaugurated by His Excellency, Governor of Kerala, Justice Sukhdev Singh Kang on 12th August, 2001, has been fully operational for the past 16 months. MCIRC has been running its pain and palliative ward to help the Pain and Palliative Care Society (PPCS) in the lower ground floor of the building. PPCS brings in cancer patients who are poor and in severe pain, needing in-patient care as well as terminally ill cancer patients. Several such poor cancer patients have been treated during this period. All the patients so admitted were given in-patient care round the clock including food and medicine free of charge. 3 doctors and 11 nurses specially trained in palliative care are working in this ward. All the expenses including food, medicine and salaries of staff were met by regular monthly donations from some of the Trustees and other charitable people. PPCS has recently started its own ward in the medical college premises. MCIRC has therefore temporarily stopped admissions to its pain and palliative ward, until its own radiotherapy unit becomes operational.
Currently, it is believed that about 80 percent of cancer cases in third world countries are detected in advanced stages where cure is not possible. However, when screening facilities are made available, 66 percent of such cases can be detected in early stages and cure becomes a possibility. Apart from the need for treatment facilities, imparting cancer awareness among the public is extremely important.We, therefore, give immense weightage to cancer awareness programmes and setting up of screening clinics for early detection of cancers. We have already trained one doctor and two nurses in the early detection of cervical and oral cancers at the Regional Cancer Center, Tiruvanandapuram. In October 2003, we started our own early detection clinic on a small scale. We have been promised some help in this regard by IARC, a part of World Health Organization. Treatment facilities for detected cases are very inadequate in this region. It is well known that Calicut Medical College has a waiting time of up to six months. Those who can afford to do so, go to distant places like Regional Cancer Center, Tiruvanandapuram and Adayar Cancer Center, Madras for treatment. However, for the poor, this is not an option. Unless they get substantial help from charitable organization or individuals, cancer moves inexorably and inevitably to an advanced state and becomes incurable. This is a most pathetic situation indeed.
The only solution for this pitiable dilemma is to establish an institution like MCIRC in the area, which will offer poor cancer patients treatment free of charge and where cancer treatment facilities will be made available to lower and upper middle class people at affordable prices. This is what MCIRC is striving to achieve. MCIRC has already got the necessary approval from the Atomic Energy Research Center, Bombay to construct a Radiotherapy Unit on the premises. The estimated cost of the proposed building is Rupees 40 lakhs. Once the building is constructed, it is possible to get equipment from governmental agencies and other sources free of cost. This will enable us to provide timely and free treatment to thousands of poor cancer patients.
 Entrance To The Pain and Palliative Ward, MCIRC |
Future Focus
The main task in front of us right now is to set up the radiotherapy unit. This is where we are currently seeking help. Once the radiotherapy unit is established it will be a boon to scores of cancer patients in the region who can avail of radiotherapy for curative as well as palliative treatments. The serene and beautiful surrounding of MCIRC make it an ideal place for cancer patients to relax and recuperate. Without the availability of radiotherapy neither palliative nor curative treatment can be offered to cancer patients. Radiotherapy facility is also mandatory to treat cancer cases detected at the screening clinic. So the necessity of establishing a radiotherapy unit cannot be overemphasised.
Our next aim is the establishment of a leukemia centre for children, along with a full-fledged laboratory, radio-diagnostic facilities, a radio-therapy unit and a blood bank. Medical and surgical oncology will follow. Ultimately, we would like to set-up a state-of-the-art research centre.
We invite you to visit the MCIRC, and its serene and beautiful surroundings, the next time you are in Calicut. Any help and assistance that you choose to provide to promote this humanitarian effort will be accepted with gratitude. Without help and support from people like you, we will not be able to reach our objective.
MCIRC Trustees and Office Bearers
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our mission
