3 state-run med colleges to provide tertiary cancer care

In a major boost to the health infrastructure in the state, three state-run medical colleges will be providing tertiary cancer care to patients.

The three medical colleges — College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital, Burdwan Medical College and Hospital and Murshidabad Medical College have been undergoing major infrastructural revamp. The construction works have been completed. Most advanced equipment will be installed to provide top-class cancer treatment to the patients here.

According to sources, if everything goes as per plans, these three tertiary cancer centres may start functioning after Durga Puja this year. The state government has planned to set up a dedicated cancer hospital in North Bengal as well. Once the cancer centre comes up at Murshidabad Medical College, it will be able to cater to a huge number of patients from North Bengal as well. These patients now have to come down to the city to avail of treatment.

The construction of tertiary care at Burdwan Medical College has also been completed. Once it gets operational, thousands of patients from East and West Burdwan and other adjoining districts frequenting the city and other states for undergoing treatment will be able to avail top class facilities at the Tertiary Cancer Care Centre in Burdwan.

The project started in 2019, but work got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project is coming up at an approximate cost of Rs 80 crore. Health officials believe that cancer patients from East Burdwan and other adjoining districts will be able to avail treatment in Burdwan and the referral cases sent to the city hospitals will be reduced.

Even cancer patients from other districts in South Bengal might visit the Tertiary Cancer Care Centre in Burdwan as it will be equipped with several modern facilities. There will be various advanced machines, including Telecobalt, Brachytherapy machine, Linear Accelerator, and CT Simulator in the hospital. The state government has taken up a series of initiatives to enhance the infrastructure for treating cancer patients at the government level.

Last year, the state government announced the setting up of two new cancer hospitals in the state, IPGME&R and SSKM Hospital and the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, in association with the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai.

According to state government data, around 25 per cent of cancer patients from West Bengal travel to hospitals in Mumbai to avail of treatment. Such patients and their families have to struggle hard to fix appointments and arrange their stay in Mumbai during the treatment.