Guwahati: Assam will set up a Rs 600-crore Proton Beam Therapy Centre at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), joining an elite global group of cancer-care centres.The state cabinet approved the project on Sunday, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said after the meeting.“Our cabinet has sanctioned Rs 600 crore to set up a proton beam therapy machine in Guwahati Medical College. This will be the first proton beam therapy in the public healthcare system in our country, and the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital will be the third hospital in both public and private sector in the country to have proton beam therapy,” Sarma said.He added that the facility would expand Assam’s capacity to treat cancer patients from the state and across the country.About 40 proton beam therapy centres exist globally, including those at leading hospitals in the US, Singapore and Japan. “Assam will therefore join this illustrious league of 40 global centres where patients can receive treatment through proton beam therapy,” Sarma said.“At Gauhati Medical College, we are going to introduce proton beam therapy, which is the highest level of cancer treatment today,” Sarma said, adding that the tender process was complete.World Bank will provide a Rs 315-crore loan to purchase the machine, while the state govt will bear the remaining Rs 285 crore.India currently has proton beam therapy facilities at Apollo in Chennai and Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. No state or central govt hospital, including AIIMS, has the technology yet.“Once the machine is installed, Assam will gain a new identity in the field of medical tourism. We have been discussing this project for the last two years, and finally, today, we were able to get the cabinet’s approval. I believe it will take a minimum of three years to set up the facility at Gauhati Medical College,” he said.Doctors said proton beam therapy is a newer, precision-based technology in radiation oncology and radiation physics. Sarma said the project cost would include the machine, training, buildings and other components.
