Doyen of cancer treatment in India Krishnan Nair passes away

One of the tallest figures in the country in cancer treatment, M. Krishnan Nair passed away on Thursday, family sources said. He was 81.

Nair's last rites will be held in the state capital, later in the day.

He is credited for starting the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in the state capital and went on to be its first director, a post he held for numerous years, before retiring.

RCC began as a department of the state-run Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and later became an autonomous institution which provided succour to numerous suffering cancer patients in the state and continues the work of Nair.

Nair was awarded the Padma Shri for his services to the nation in cancer treatment and was an advisor to the World Health Organization on the same topic.