Oncologist Dr Suresh Rao felicitated on MIO Day

Dr Suresh Rao, Mangalore Institute of Oncology (MIO) director and Radiation Oncology head, who treated over 25,000 patients with radiation therapy, was felicitated at the ‘MIO Day’ programme on the hospital premises on Saturday.

The day was observed to to mark the eighth anniversary of MIO.

Chief Surgical Oncologist at MIO Dr Jalaluddin Akbar said that treating over 25,000 patients is a great achievement for any doctor. “Dr Rao has made a big difference in each of their lives,” he stressed. The success rate at MIO was around 57%, which was another feather in the cap of Dr Suresh Rao, he added.

He said Dr Rao was a visionary. “His short stint in the hospitals in the Gulf compelled him to open a state-of-the-art hospital for cancer patients in 2012. MIO, equipped with 120 beds, has been treating cancer patients from North Kerala, Goa and across the state,” said Dr Akbar.

Prof Dr M S Vidyasagar, who is head of the Department of Radiation Oncology, Fr Muller Medical College, and also teacher of Dr Suresh Rao said Dr Rao was his favourite student. “He is dedicated and good at treating children. I congratulate him for launching MIO,” Dr Vidyasagar stressed.

Dr Suresh Rao thanked doctors, patients and caregivers for extending their support to MIO. “MIO will intensify its efforts in prevention and control of the disease. We will also strive to provide modern treatment with compassion and empathy,” he added.

Mangaluru South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath, seeking cooperation from all hospitals, said the huge potential of medical tourism needs to be tapped at the earliest.

MIO president Ananthkrishna released the new MIO brochure and unveiled the new logo. The MIO health cards for poor APL card holders in Karnataka and Kerala were also released on the occasion.