Jharkhand proposes 6 cancer day care, radiation therapy centres under PPP model
Ranchi: The Jharkhand government is proposing to establish cancer day care and radiation therapy facilities at six government hospitals across the state to expand access to cancer care, an official statement said on Saturday.
According to the statement, a detailed proposal will soon be prepared to start such facilities on the basis of public-private partnership (PPP) in all five medical colleges of the state and the Ranchi district headquarters hospital.
To take the scheme forward, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Ajay Kumar Singh held a high-level meeting with officials on Friday, news agency PTI reported.
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Singh said that cancer patients should have access to better and easier treatment at the district level so that they do not have to travel far for treatment.
The meeting also discussed the need for modern linear accelerators (LINAC) for radiation therapy.
Those present at the meeting said that providing radiation services requires not only machines but also trained staff such as radiation specialists, technicians and medical physicists.
According to the statement, the shortage of medical physicists in the region was identified as a major challenge in the meeting.
The meeting further discussed a plan to divide medical colleges into two groups for the proposed radiation centres. Health centres in Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, and Dumka would be in one group, while Ranchi, Hazaribagh, and Palamu would be in the other.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital (MGMMCH) is set for a major upgrade under a Rs 394 crore state government project aimed at increasing MBBS seats from 150 to 250 and PG seats from 52 to 150 over the next three years. The upgraded facility will also introduce robotic and spinal surgery services.
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