The Assam government recently launched a new cancer hospital, developed in collaboration with the Tata Group, at a cost nearing Rs 400 crore. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the State Cancer Institute (SCI) alongside an extended emergency department at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) during a ceremony. This initiative is part of the state government’s ‘Vikash Yatra’, wherein projects totaling Rs 661.03 crore were inaugurated for the Kamrup Metropolitan district.
The newly inaugurated cancer institute boasts 350 beds and offers a wide array of medical services including radiation, chemotherapy, robotic surgery, nuclear medicine, bone marrow transplant, as well as academic and research facilities. Equipped with advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies such as MRI, CT, mammography, and digital X-ray, the total project cost for the SCI amounts to Rs 395 crore. Chief Minister Sarma highlighted the collaboration with Tata Trusts through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2018, leading to the formation of the Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF) to oversee the project’s implementation.
Further enhancing Assam’s healthcare infrastructure, the government is investing over Rs 3,600 crore to establish a comprehensive cancer care network in the state. With plans to offer proton beam therapy for advanced cancer treatment, Assam aims to emerge as a hub for medical tourism not only serving the Northeast region but also catering to South East Asian nations. Additionally, the inauguration of a PET-CT machine at Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) in Guwahati, with a project cost exceeding Rs 13 crore, is expected to benefit approximately 2,000 patients annually. Sarma also initiated direct benefit transfers for the construction of individual toilets under the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ and laid the foundation stone for various infrastructure projects aimed at community welfare.
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