Kochi | Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Saturday said the government was considering public-sector facilities to provide affordable cancer screening and diagnostic services, with free access for economically weaker sections.

Speaking after inaugurating the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Cochin Cancer Research Centre, he said the government would extend all support to develop the institution into a leading centre for cancer treatment and research.

Satheesan said the high cost of cancer treatment and diagnostic tests in the private sector placed a considerable financial burden on ordinary families. Affordable screening and diagnostic services through the public sector would help ease this burden, he said.

He also stressed the need to make quality-assured generic medicines available as alternatives to expensive drugs.

Public-sector treatment facilities should be strengthened to ensure that families are not forced to mortgage their homes or land to meet cancer treatment expenses, he said, adding that the cost of medical care should not undermine a family's financial stability.

The CM directed the centre to prepare a comprehensive five-year development plan, with clearly defined targets and activities for each year, to be implemented in phases.

With the number of cancer patients increasing in Keralam, comprehensive research was needed to identify the causes of the disease, he said.

He emphasised that, alongside treatment, greater attention should be paid to prevention and early diagnosis. The centre should develop into an institution excelling not only in cancer treatment but also in research, he added.

Satheesan said the government had released Rs 5.25 crore in pending funds for the development of the centre.

The institution, announced during the Oommen Chandy government, began functioning from a small building in November 2016.

Doctors, employees and the government would work together to develop the centre into a leading public-sector institution for cancer treatment and research, he added.