FINANCIAL AID FOR CANCER PATIENTS--( DCS)

Financial aid for cancer patients

     The Pathanamthitta  District Cancer Society (DCS) distributed financial assistance of Rs.10,000 each to 12 poor terminally ill patients at a function at the Collectorate conference hall here on Saturday,18^th June,2011.. K. Sivadasan Nair, MLA, said the society had decided to enhance the financial aid to Rs.15,000 from next year. Assistance would be provided to 20 patients next year  He said the society had set apart Rs.13 lakh as fixed deposit at a nationalised bank. The interest portion would be given as assistance to poor patients.

       The DCS has also launched a scheme to provide monthly monetary assistance (endowment) to poor terminally ill patients. The society has deposited Rs.25 lakh as fixed deposit with the State Bank of Travancore. The monthly interest of Rs.15,580 would be given as endowment of Rs.300 each to 50 terminally-ill patients every month, the MLA said. K. Sasidharan Pillai, District Cancer Centre director, said the endowment was to meet the incidental expenses of the patients. Dr. Pillai said the DCC was established as a subsidiary of the Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, as part of the National Cancer Control Programme, in October, 1999 and it had been identified as a model project by the World Health Organisation six years ago.

                                                                    Prof. John Kurakar