Ranchi, Jan. 21: Governor Syed Sibtey Razi laid the foundation stone of a super-speciality cancer centre — Curie-Abdur Razzaque Ansari Cancer Institute — at the proposed hospital site near Apollo Hospital on the NH-33.

A joint venture between Bangalore-based Health Care Global Enterprises Limited (HCG), a leading oncology care organisation in the country, and the Ansari Hospital Management and Consultancy Services, it is estimated to be a Rs 8.5-crore project.

“The 30-bed hospital will have a state-of-the-art Linac (linear accelerator) for administering radiation to the patients,” said Syed Ansari of the Ansari Hospital, adding, “This hospital will also have two high-end operation theatres for surgical oncology and a day care service.”

The unit is expected to be in operation by March 2008 and the construction work should be complete by the year-end, said Ansari.

The HCG, which is currently managing five cancer centres in southern India, is creating a national network for comprehensive cancer care across the country. Ranchi is one of the 13 selected locations.

HCG’s five centres in the south are catering to approximately 6,000 new cancer patients annually. It is estimated that in three years the load of new cancer patients would be around 20,000. “An estimated three million patients are undergoing treatment in centres across the country. Hence, there is a need for dedicated cancer care units,” Ansari pointed out.

There is dearth of quality cancer treatment centres in the country. At present, cancer patients are mainly treated in the 19 government-funded public sector centres.