The West Bengal Government has bought state-of-the-art radiotherapy units called LINAC machines for cancer treatment at four teaching hospitals in Kolkata – NRS, RG Kar, SSKM and Medical College Hospital (MCH).

These high-end machines would be functional for patients within four or five months. Each machine costs Rs 15 crore. Five machines have been bought and the sixth would be bought soon. With the help of these machines, thousands of patients would be able to get treatment at a very affordable price. The machines feature several built-in safety measures to ensure that they will not deliver higher doses than prescribed. They would be routinely checked to ensure that they work properly.

According to a senior official at Swasthya Bhawan, hardly two or three hospitals in the country have this latest model of LINAC machine. He also said that experts from the American manufacturer will come to train the doctors and technicians who would be operating the machines.