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Assam approves ₹600 crore proton beam therapy unit
NDTV··31 Aug
The Assam cabinet approved a proton beam therapy unit for cancer treatment at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital at ₹600 crore. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Assam will be the first state with this facility in the public healthcare sector. The World Bank will provide a ₹315 crore loan and the state government will spend ₹285 crore.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Cancer patients in Assam may access proton beam therapy at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital once the ₹600 crore unit is installed.
- Residents currently travel to private hospitals in Mumbai and Chennai for proton beam therapy, the only options in India until now.
- The state aims to treat local patients and attract medical tourists once the advanced radiation facility begins operations.
What's Happening
- Himanta Biswa Sarma said proton beam therapy uses proton beams for precision-based radiation treatment with less damage to nearby healthy tissues.
- He said around 40 proton beam therapy units exist across the world and Assam will join that list once the unit is set up.
- The cabinet also approved ₹50,000 crore expenditure over seven years beginning 2027-28 for development works across sectors.
Assam Public Cancer Treatment Expansion
- Proton beam therapy is described as one of the most advanced forms of cancer treatment in the chief minister's statement.
- No state-run hospitals in India currently offer proton beam therapy according to Sarma, with two private hospitals providing it.
- The World Bank loan of ₹315 crore covers roughly half the ₹600 crore project cost approved by the Assam cabinet.
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