Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has planned to spend Rs 577 crore over the next five years on its ambitious Odisha Cancer Care Programme that aims at spreading cancer care facilities across the state.
Along with the expansion of Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute for Cancer (AHPGIC) at Cuttack, nine radiotherapy units with a linear accelerator, brachytherapy and CT-simulator besides facilities for early detection, chemotherapy and palliative care have been proposed under the programme, The New Indian Express (TNIE) reported.
AHPGIC also serves patients from the neighbouring states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. It will have additional 220 beds taking the total bed strength to 500. The expansion plan includes a proper OPD complex, high-end pathology service like immunohistochemistry (IHC), molecular biology and cytogenetics facilities.
The apex cancer institute will have 15 modular operating theatres with ICU, post-operative backups and other ancillary facilities. New departments like medical gastroenterology, plastic surgery, uro-oncology, bone and soft tissue oncology, thoracic oncology, hepato-pancreato biliary unit, breast unit, palliative care and bone marrow transplant unit will also be opened, TNIE quoted Health Department sources as saying.
Along with a dedicated blood bank, the nuclear medicine department will be augmented for diagnosis as well as therapeutic and interventional radiology. The existing radiotherapy units at Burla and Berhampur will be upgraded to 50-bed facilities with all modern equipment. However, the new radiotherapy units have been planned to be set up in three phases. Four units will come up at Capital Hospital, Bargarh DHH, sLN Medical College at Koraput and a new medical college at Keonjhar in the first phase, the report added.
While two units have been proposed at BB Medical College at Balangir and FM Medical College at Balasore in the second phase, three more facilities will be set up at PRM Medical College at Baripada, Kalahandi DHH and new medical college at Angul.
New cancer hospital at Jharsuguda
A comprehensive cancer hospital is also being set up at Jharsuguda. The state-of-the-art 110-bed facility will have departments like surgical oncology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, radio-diagnosis, pathology, nuclear medicine and palliative care besides a PETCT scan (whole body) facility. The healthcare need of cancer patients for diagnosis, treatment and follow up are being addressed on top priority, Additional Chief Secretary of the Health department PK Mohapatra was quoted as saying in TNIE.
“The AHPGIC is undergoing a massive expansion. A budgetary provision of Rs 303 crore has been proposed for the cancer care programme this fiscal to provide affordable and quality healthcare services to cancer patients,” he said. More than 36,000 people are being affected with cancer every year and nearly 30 per cent succumb to the disease in the state