Assam CM Himanta launches Rs 400-crore cancer hospital in Guwahati

Guwahati: The Assam government on Saturday inaugurated a new cancer hospital, developed in association with the Tata Group at a cost of nearly Rs 400 crore, for offering advanced treatment to patients with critical ailment.

At a function here, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma dedicated to Assam the State Cancer Institute (SCI) along with the extended emergency department at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

The SCI is part of the state government's 'Vikash Yatra', under which inauguration and foundation for projects worth Rs 661.03 crore were done for Kamrup Metropolitan district during the day.

The cancer institute will have 350 beds and offer medical services like radiation, chemotherapy, robotic surgery, nuclear medicine, bone marrow transplant, academics and research.

Moreover, the SCI is equipped with facilities like MRI, CT, mammography, digital X-ray, endoscopy, laboratory and blood bank and the total cost of the project is Rs 395 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said, "For creating an advanced cancer care system in the state, our government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata Trusts on February 3, 2018. To implement the project, a special purpose vehicle -- Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF) -- was formed." He said that taking it forward, an apex referral centre at SCI (L1), five comprehensive cancer care centres (L2s) at Dibrugarh, Barpeta, Silchar, Diphu and Dhubri, and 11 diagnostic and day care clinics (L3s) were set up.

These clinics were set up at Lakhimpur, Tezpur, Jorhat, Kokrajhar, Darrang, Tinsukia, Golaghat, Nalbari, Nagaon, Sibsagar and Goalpara.

Sarma said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated seven hospitals at Dibrugarh, Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Tezpur, Jorhat, Darrang and Kokrajhar in April 2022.

The chief minister said that with an investment over Rs 3,600 crore, the state government is building a cancer care network in Assam, that will offer proton beam therapy to facilitate advanced and targeted cancer treatment.

"The state government with the help of the Centre is working to make Assam a destination for medical tourism with all advanced healthcare facilities to cater not only to the patients of Northeast but South East Asian nations as well," he added.

In another programme, Sarma dedicated to the state a PET-CT machine at Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), Guwahati with a project cost of Rs 13.14 crore.

"Approximately 2,000 patients will be benefitted from the project every year. The state in association with the central government is working to make the BBCI a centre of excellence, where patients are able to get cutting-edge treatment facilities without having to go outside the state," he added.

At the same function, the chief minister also kick-started the process of direct benefit transfer of Rs 9,000 each to one lakh households for the construction of individual toilets under the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' in the state.

Among other projects inaugurated by the CM are Kar Bhawan built with Rs 122 crore, a night shelter for building and construction workers and the expanded Purabi Dairy Plant with an outlay of Rs 49 crore, an official release said.

The projects for which the foundation stone was laid are Umananda Modular Terminal- IWT at Umananda Ghat involving a budgetary provision of Rs 56 crore and a patient guest house at GMCH for the Tea Tribes community worth Rs 7 crore.