Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Assam is building 17 Day Care Cancer Centres to slash travel times and costs for rural patients. Health Minister Ashok Singhal confirmed the plan in the Legislative Assembly following a query from MLA Bolin Chetia. These sites provide chemotherapy and routine follow-up care.
Twelve centres already run in Dibrugarh, Barpeta, Silchar, Jorhat, Tezpur, Lakhimpur, Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Diphu, Goalpara, Tinsukia, and Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. The state will open the final five in later phases. The Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF) manages these new sites.
The ACCF expanded oncology infrastructure beyond the State Cancer Institute in Guwahati. Existing specialized facilities operate in Dibrugarh, Barpeta, Tezpur, Nagaon, and Silchar. These locations perform surgeries, radiotherapy, and diagnostic work.
Data shows the ACCF treated 315 children for cancer since 2022. The State Cancer Institute handled 113 of those cases. Dibrugarh saw 81 patients, Barpeta 46, Tezpur 20, Darrang 19, Kokrajhar 18, Lakhimpur 11, Jorhat five, and Silchar two.
Prevention remains a key focus. The state uses mobile medical units and Village Health Outreach Programmes to push for early detection. Patients get free drugs via the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. Singhal said the government's priority is to ensure "timely and affordable cancer care" for the people.
Officials are also pushing HPV vaccines to stop cervical cancer in girls. Hepatitis B shots continue under the Universal Immunisation Programme to prevent liver cancer. These moves aim to lighten the financial weight on families.
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