Cancer therapy: SMS Hospital fails to take excessive patient load

Jaipur: People from far-flung places come to undergo cancer therapy at SMS Hospital in Jaipur, but almost 50 percent of them return disappointed due to excessive patient load.

According to an estimate, nearly 100 patients come to SMS Hospital to get cancer therapy daily, but nearly 50 of them are sent back without treatment.

SMS Hospital has only one ward on the first floor of the building dedicated to cancer patients. The ward accommodates 15 beds. There are three more radiotherapy wards, but they are all lying defunct for a long time. It takes one patient about 2-4 hours to get cancer therapy. Given the existing facilities at the hospital, only 50 patients can be attended in a day.

While patients living in Jaipur or nearby can bear the agony, it becomes very problematic for people coming from other parts of the state. Patients from even other states come to this biggest hospital of Rajasthan to get therapy because it is inexpensive compared to private hospitals.

“I come from Udaipur district to get therapy here, but I have to either stay at hotels or come back because doctors can’t attend me. Most days I have to sleep in hospital corridors because the beds in the radiotherapy wards are always full,” said Umesh Kumar Prajapat, a farmer.

Umesh said that he can’t afford staying at hotels.

“If I had money I would have gone to a private hospital. I come to SMS Hospital because I can’t afford therapy sessions at private hospitals. But undergoing cancer treatment at SMS is a nightmare,” said Umesh.