The Cancer Institute (WIA), established in 1954 under the Societies' Registration Act of 1860, is an autonomous non-profit Charitable comprehensive cancer centre comprising of a hospital of 427 cancer beds, the Research Centre, Dr.Muthulaxmi College of Oncologic Sciences, and the centre for Preventive Oncology. Of the 427 beds, 297 are free and only 130 beds are paying. Of the paying beds, 60 are subsidized partially. The Institute is recognized by the Government of India as a "Regional Centre of Cancer Treatment and Research" for the Southern Region. The hospital sees over 1,00,000 cancer patients annually. They are drawn from all over the country, South and South East Asia but mainly from the Southern States of Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, Karnataka and Kerala.

At present the Institute's income is derived from hospital receipts, interest income from endowments, grant-in-aid from the Government of Tamilnadu and the Government of India and revenue donations from the public. The finances are managed with extreme stringency. The staff strength is only 66% of what is required. The salary scales of the highly trained and expert staff is only about 60% of what one would draw in a corporate set up. Almost all major equipments have been acquired under international aid and this fact together with the long hours of hard work put in by our dedicated staff has maintained the Institute as a "state of the art centre".

The Cancer Institute (WIA) will be entering the Golden Jubilee year in January 2004. The important components of the Golden Jubilee programme are:

1. To establish chairs for teaching and research in the different fields of oncology in the name of the donor or institution.
   
2. To generate resources for replacement of the highly sophisticated equipments for treatment and research that had been acquired so far under international aid.
   
3. Physical expansion of the Institute to meet the overwhelming patient demand for admission and the establishment of specialized areas for the different disciplines in oncology.
   
4. Intensification of Research programmes in molecular biology.

The immediate replacement of equipments and a decent corpus fund towards patient care and maintenance is approximately estimated to be Rs. 20 crores. A generous contribution to achieve the target will be a major support to the Institute that has pioneered cancer care and control.

The Cancer Institute completes in 2004, 50 years of what we believe is a very useful life. It has striven under great odds and against near insurmountable obstacles of financial poverty and an almost indifferent ambience, to fulfill the objectives of its founder, bringing to the poorest in the land the most refined scientific technology and excellent patient care.

We can assure you that whatever is given to us will be tended carefully and used wisely. The return in service and scientific endeavor will far out weigh in value the money contributed.

Yours in service,
(DR.V.SHANTA)
CHAIRMAN

II. Comprehensive Critical Care Unit
1.	Building :	Rs.2.0 crores
2.	Equipments :	Rs. 1.0 crores

The Hindu