In a major boost to cancer care system in Assam, 19 new specialized cancer hospitals will come up in the state within the next two years, state Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sharma said on May 21.

“These cancer hospitals will come up as a collaboration between Assam government and the Tata Trust, with the funding being shared on 50-50 basis,” he said. The MoU and other details of this initiative had been signed earlier and a joint venture vehicle, Assam Cancer Care Foundation, with the state Health minister as the chairman, formed for the purpose. Dr Sharma said the foundation for all 19 hospitals will be ceremonially laid at a central function here on June 17 next, in the presence of Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata.

He said 13 sites have also been chosen and the remaining were in the last stages of finalization and the construction and procurement of equipment will be completed in 18-24 months. The health minister further informed that two new dental colleges will start functioning from this session. He said, “So far, Assam had only one dental college at Guwahati, with a student intake of 100 annually. Now, two new colleges at Dibrugarh and Silchar will start from this session, with initial student intake of 50 each.”

On the state government’s flagship Atal Amrit Abhiyan, providing cashless medical facility for BPL and lower middle-class people of the state, the minister said 1120 people have availed the facility since its launch in the cashless mode in the last one month.
As many as 1.19 crore cards have been disbursed under the scheme so far, and new enrollments were continuing.