Guwahati, The Assam government on Saturday signed an agreement with Ion Beam Applications Particles of Belgium for setting up the country’s first public proton beam therapy centre in the northeastern state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The state cabinet had in August this year approved the establishment of a proton beam therapy centre at Guwahati under the Assam State Secondary Healthcare Initiative for Service Delivery Transformation project of the Assam Health Infrastructure Development & Management Society . “This investment will include machines, training and building for the centre. This will give Assam a new identity in medical tourism.
Until now, proton beam therapy, one of the world’s most advanced cancer treatments, had been available only in private hospitals in India, at costs of up to ₹ 50 lakh, he said. Sarma had then said that of the estimated total cost of ₹ 600 crore, ₹ 315 crore will be provided by the World Bank on loan and the state will pump in the remaining ₹ 285 crore.
He said this advanced technology will make a significant difference for patients, particularly children, receiving cancer care. “I am extremely proud to share that Assam has signed an MoU to set up India’s first proton beam therapy centre in the public health sector at a cost of ₹ 600 cr,” Sarma said in a social media post. “With 17 cancer hospitals being set up across the state, of which 12 are functional, a community-level constant outreach programme and consistent investments in human capital and infrastructure, our ambition is clear: Assam will be a global centre for cancer care,” Sarma added. It will take a minimum of three years to set up the facility,” the CM said.
