Silchar: Assam will be the first northeastern state to introduce an advanced proton technique for cancer treatment, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said as he inaugurated an advanced cancer care centre in Silchar’s Barak Valley on Friday.
Sarma said that they are building a future where cancer treatment will be 100% insurance-based under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) and Chief Minister Jan Arogya Yojana (CMJAY).
“Instead of hospitals giving free treatment, we want them to use Rs.5 lakh per year under these schemes,” he said.
Sarma said that the Assam government in collaboration with Tata Trust is building a grid for cancer treatment, with Guwahati as the centre of it.
Taking to X, Sarma wrote, “Realising the dream of a Healthy Assam. One of my foremost priorities in making Assam a developed State is ensuring the health and wellness of our people across the State. In this direction, today, I dedicated the Silchar Cancer Centre and performed Bhoomi Poojan for the Karimganj Medical College, overall worth ₹939cr to ensure people of Barak receive best in class treatment.”
He said that through the Assam Cancer Care Foundation, a joint partnership between the Assam government and Tata Trust, they are building 17 advanced cancer care centres across the state. Silchar Cancer Centre is the eighth hospital under this scheme.
{{/usCountry}}He said that through the Assam Cancer Care Foundation, a joint partnership between the Assam government and Tata Trust, they are building 17 advanced cancer care centres across the state. Silchar Cancer Centre is the eighth hospital under this scheme.
{{/usCountry}}To build the grid for cancer treatment, the Assam government is spending Rs.2,460 crore, the Tata Trust is spending Rs.1,180 crore and the remaining amount will be provided by the central government, Sarma said.
According to Sarma, more than 200,000 patients have received treatment under the Assam Cancer Care Foundation since 2022 and 46,792 people are under treatment presently.
“Since 2022, over two lakh patients have undergone treatment in 10 cancer hospitals opened by our government. These hospitals run on a unique model where the state government doesn’t interfere in its day-to-day functioning,” Sarma said.
According to the senior oncologists at Silchar Cancer Centre, the Proton Treatment system is only available in Apollo Chennai and Tata Mumbai and Guwahati will be the third in this region.
They said that this treatment is not available in neighbouring countries like Myanmar, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan etc. So this will attract patients from across those countries.
On Friday, the chief minister inaugurated and laid foundation stone projects worth Rs.2,000 crore.
“Today, we’ve begun a journey of fully transforming Assam into a superlative infrastructure destination, which fulfils the aspirations of the people. Projects worth ₹23,000cr will either be launched or initiated as part of our ‘Vikas Yatra’,” Sarma wrote on X.