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The following is an excerpt of a speech by the Minister of Health, Hon. D, Fuad Khan at a National Oncology Centre Breakfast Meeting held on Friday 22nd June 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port-of-Spain:

"When completed, the National Oncology Centre will have a number of ongoing research projects with proper peer reviews.  There must be the development of internationally competitive research programmes in cancer research.  This will include programmes in tumour epidemiology, outcome of management research, and the research into the identification of cancer risk factors, and predictive factors eg HPV and cervical cancer, oral cancer, anal warts and cancer, smoking and bladder cancer, lung cancer etc.
 

Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan looks at a model of the NOC along with
L-R Senior Partner Mr Tye Farrow, Senior Health Advisor Stewart Smith and Permanent Secretary Antonia Popplewell

The centre will have a central area for the entry of cancer patients, with treatment performed by a multi-disciplinary team of clinical oncologists, and supported by an integrated clinical system of doctors of various specialities geared towards the management of the cancer patient:

• We will establish a data bank for tumour reporting and effects of treatment
• For each patient, proper records of patient diagnosis and management protocols will be recorded.
• We will have internationally acceptable standard operating procedures for diagnosis and treatment that reflect evidence-based oncology treatment.
• We will introduce a quality assessment system for diagnosis, oncology surgery, medical oncology and radiotherapy
• A centralized quality-controlled out-patient unit for chemotherapy will be developed
• We will develop an established and validated system for data collection and a proper cancer registry will be formed.
• The cancer centre will have an organizational structure with support from the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of the West Indies (UWI). 
• There will be the development of integrated psycho-social and palliative care.  The centre must interact with patient advocacy groups.
• There will be a dedicated clinical trial centre with participation in innovative clinical studies
• There will be multi-disciplinary training programmes for physicians, physician scientists, nurses and related professions.
• There will be a definite auditing process conducted by a trained personnel in medical audit systems
• The centre will be managed by highly qualified personnel with a scientific background trained in oncology centre management.  There will be a scientific advisory board and an executive committee versed in management of an oncology centre.

I wish to share with you at this point the schedule for the delivery of the National Oncology Centre:

• Tender for documents from consultants – July 30th 2012
• Invitation to Tender – August 6th 2012
• Tenders returned/bids closed – September 17th 2012
• Evaluation and award completed – October 31st 2012
• Construction start – November 12th 2012
• Construction period (expected to be a maximum 18 months)
• Commissioning of major equipment (expected to be 6 months)
• Opening/Operation of National Oncology Centre – November 2014

The total construction cost of the National Oncology Centre is $663M, with an additional $52M for equipment.

We operate on the premise that the health of our nation is its wealth and an ounce of prevention is always better than a pound of cure."

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