Doctors to be admitted to CCRC on priority: Kerala Fisheries Minister

More than a hundred sanctioned posts remain vacant at the Cochin Cancer Research Centre. | Photo credit: FILE PHOTO

Months after its much-hyped launch and amid delays in full commissioning, the Cochin Cancer Research Center (CCRC) is expected to get a fresh boost, with 36 doctors being recruited on priority, said Fisheries and Kalamassery Minister MLA VE Abdul Gafoor.

“Doctors will be recruited on priority in the first phase. We will need additional nursing and technical staff and these posts will also be filled soon. The decision is to appoint staff immediately at least on contract basis if the vacancies cannot be filled permanently,” he told The Hindu.

More than a hundred sanctioned posts remain vacant and the center is being run with minimal staff, according to sources. While the previous government consecrated the posts already in December, no recruitment had yet taken place before the ceremonial opening of the institute.

“The incidence of cancer in Kerala is high and the cost of treatment is skyrocketing. We need a research-led approach to address these concerns,” said an oncologist who was earlier associated with the centre.

He added that the purpose of the center would be defeated if the doctors were appointed on contract basis. “We won’t get good oncologists on the basis of a contract. We need the best experts to develop the institute as a center of excellence,” he added.

Another oncologist suggested that the center needed a strong workforce to run it effectively.

Although the hospital is yet to be fully operational, outpatient services and other medical facilities, including an operating theatre, have been moved from the Government Medical College to the centre. Equipment for CT and MRI has already been put into operation at the institute.

“A recruitment committee has been set up and the necessary staff will be recruited soon to make the facility fully operational,” the minister said.

Published – 30 Aug 2026 01:10 IST