Cooch Behar: The Cooch Behar Regional Cancer Centre is set to reopen in a modernised form on March 8, coinciding with International Women’s Day. The hospital will now operate under a new name — Kamal Guha Regional Memorial Cancer Center — following a formal agreement between the Cooch Behar Regional Cancer Center Trust and a private healthcare organisation.
Announcing the development, CP Rao, Chief Growth Officer of the private organisation, said the centre is being upgraded with comprehensive cancer care facilities. “In collaboration with the Trust, we are ready to relaunch the hospital in a modernised format. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy wards are being revamped, surgical oncology services will be introduced, and facilities ranging from laparoscopy units to a fully equipped ICU are being prepared,” he said. He added that patients requiring critical care after chemotherapy will have immediate access to ICU support.
The organisation has also assured affordable treatment. According to Rao, patients without health cards will be assisted in obtaining them to ensure access to treatment at minimal cost. Established during the Left Front era under the initiative of late minister Kamal Guha, the centre had long been managed by the Trust but suffered due to years of inadequate maintenance. Efforts to revive the facility began in 2022 under the initiative of North Bengal Development Department Minister Udayan Guha, though procedural delays stalled progress.
Following the appointment of Dilip Saha as Chairman of Cooch Behar Municipality, administrative processes gained momentum, leading to the finalisation of the agreement. Authorities confirmed that none of the existing 35 employees will lose their jobs.
Trust Chairman Deepak Sarkar said the upgraded centre is expected to benefit patients from Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Assam, and even neighbouring Bhutan. The private organisation is set to invest approximately Rs.30–40 crore in the renovation project, aiming to reduce the need for patients to travel outside the region for advanced cancer treatment.