The Paediatric Oncology Service at
The Miriam Hyman Children's Eye Care Centre (MHCECC)

L V Prasad Eye Institute, Bhubaneswar. The MHCECC is on the ground floor to the right of the portico

Download the brochure for the MHCECC (.pdf)

On 3rd July 2008 the new Miriam Hyman Children’s Eye Care Centre opened within the two-year-old L V Prasad Eye Institute, Bhubaneswar (BLVPEI) in Orissa, north east coast of India. www.lvpei.org

On 3rd July 2009 the new Paediatric Oncology Service will be inaugurated at the MHCECC. Funded by MHMT donations, it is the first step in the expansion of the MHCECC. It is also the first integrated medical/surgical eye cancer therapy service in that part of the world.

The Chief Minister and Health Minster of the State Government of Orissa will be doing the honours at the inauguration. A report will follow here.


Dr Das, Chair of BLVPEI, tells us about the new oncology service:

"The oncology (cancer) service already existed to some extent, but now we are expanding it and creating a child-specific area. This exclusive physical space will be complemented with a play area too."

What does the new unit consist of? "The new unit will provide a complete medical and surgical service. The visiting medical oncologist will examine the affected children together with our surgeon, assess them and plan the specific medical and/or surgical strategy. Children needing chemotherapy alone, or in combination with surgery, will be offered that service in-house, and of course, those whose families cannot afford it will be treated at no cost. Each such cycle of chemo treatment is going to cost the Institute INR 50,000 (£685). We anticipate 15 children treated in the first year, and 50 per year in three to five years' time."

Who will benefit? "The oncology service is open to all, but this paediatric oncology service is exclusive to children. The large pool of data from the treated children will also help us design new treatment strategy, and when the Pathology Lab becomes operational it will help us to do gene profiling, and genetic counseling.

"Once the service is established we will also apply for permission for localised (plaque) radiation therapy. This is granted by the Atomic Energy Commission of India and is given to organisations that demonstrate the highest quality dedicated cancer services."

The MHMT wishes every success for the future of the new Paediatric Oncology Service. It is instrumental in the saving of lives as well as sight. We would like to thank the donors who have contributed towards it.



Development of the MHCECC

The development of the Paediatric Oncology Service is an important first step to achieving the long term goals expressed by Dr G N Rao (Chair, LVPEI) and Dr Das in their speeches at the inauguration of the MHCECC in 2008:

Dr Rao: “Today’s inauguration is just the beginning of a long journey. Our vision for the Centre is that in the next five years, every child in Orissa who needs any form of eye care should have access to the highest quality of eye care through the Centre. By the year 2020, no child in the State of Orissa should be needlessly blind or visually impaired. By that I mean that if there is something that can be prevented, we should be able to achieve that; if there is something that can be treated, we should be able to achieve that.”

Dr Das: “I dream that the Centre grows to an Institute of its own – the Miriam Hyman Children’s Eye Institute, in five years. It will be an institute where we create and practice new knowledge, an institute where we translate medicine from lab to clinic and from clinic to curb side.”

Wednesday 24-June-2009