GUWAHATI: As a sequel to October 11 meeting between the chairman of the Tata Trust, Ratan Tata, and Assam’s health minister Dr Himanta Bishwa Sarma, the Tata Trust has approved financial grant of Rs 540 crore for a joint initiative for cancer care in the state with Assam Government.
R Venkataramanan, managing trustee of Tata Trusts, in a letter to minister Sarma stated “We are happy to confirm to you that our Board of Turstees has approved a financial aid upto Rs 540 crore for the initiative to match the State’s own contribution.”
The joint venture in cancer care in Assam which is considered a high incidence state because of average detection of 30,000 new cases a year, will launched under the aegis of South East Asian Cancer Society that is being set up in Guwahati.
The plan is to set up a three-tier grid for cancer care in Assam for the high incidence Northeast region, according to the Assam’s health minister Dr Sarma.
“In what may become a rare philanthropy- government collaboration on cancer care and management, government of Assam and Tata Trusts are going to set up a unique, first-of-its-kind, 3-level cancer care grid at state, capital and district levels,” Dr Sarma said.
Under the grid system, L1 or state level cancer care institute at Guwahati to have advanced, tertiary care facilities; L2 or medial college to have chemotherapy, radiation and surgical oncology and L3 or district hospitals to have day care, chemotherapy and radiation facilities.
As per official records, average 30,000 new cases of cancer are detected in Assam every year. There are total four cancer hospitals in Assam including two government institutions, one registered under Societies Act and one private entity. Most of the cancer patients from Assam and rest of the Northeast are forced to go out of the state especially to Mumbai and South India for treatment.