Bhubaneswar: Dr Lalatendu Sarangi has been appointed director of Bagchi-Sri Shankara Cancer Centre and Research Institute (BSSCCRI) in Bhubaneswar.
Besides this, he has been assigned the role of officer of the administrative department of the medical centre. Sarangi has over 40 years of experience in Oncology practice in various capacities. He earlier served as director of Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer (AHPGIC), Cuttack, and continued as in-charge direction by way of periodic extensions after his retirement on March 17, 2022, which was later disapproved by the Orissa High Court. He was relieved from the post in December last year.
The foundation of BSSCCRI was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2021 and the state-of-art advanced hospital with cutting-edge cancer care was set up over 20 acre land given free of cost by the state government at Info-valley-II in Odisha capital in a record 15 months. The clinical services began in October 2023 with 200 beds. It will have 750 beds by 2025.
The hospital will earmark 25 per cent beds for free treatment and another 25 per cent for patients supported under different government health schemes.
The foundation of the centre was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2021.
Mindtree co-founder Subroto Bagchi and his wife Susmita Bagchi had pledged Rs 210 crore for the hospital and Rs 130 crore for a palliative care centre that is being set up in collaboration with Bengaluru-based Hospice Trust Karunashraya Foundation.
In July 2023, Prof Bidhu K Mohanti had taken up the assignment as Director-Academic & Head Radiation Oncology of BSSCCRI. He earlier served as Director, KIMS Cancer Centre.
