Cabinet approves takeover of cancer institute in NE by Dept of Atomic Energy

New Delhi:  To boost cancer treatment in the north-east, the Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the taking over of the Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute in Guwahati, Assam by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

The institute will now be brought under the administrative control of Tata Memorial Centre, an aided institution of the DAE. The decision comes in the backdrop of an increasing number of cancer cases, limited treatment facilities and the need for a hospital support for research in the north-east.

Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) who also holds the charge of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, North East India (DoNER), said in a bid to boost the healthcare services in the region, the government was also mulling to launch air clinics there.

He did not elaborate on this, but said with this move, the Out Patient Department (OPD) services could be taken to the remote corners of the region. Singh said academic courses will also be started at the cancer institute on the lines of TMC. “Doctors from TMC will be visiting the institute,” he added.

The minister said the government was also mulling to start the augmentation of additional manpower for 166 posts in the hospital. The approximate non-recurring expenditure to strengthen the infrastructure of the institute was estimated to be around Rs 150 crore and the annual recurring expenditure was estimated at Rs 45-50 crore, he added. The Borooah Cancer Institute was established in 1974 in Guwahati with an objective of investigation, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the north-eastern region by a voluntary organisation.

The hospital is currently under the control of the Assam government. (PTI)