Cuttack, June 20: A three-member central team on Monday took stock of the infrastructure at the Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre (AHRCC) here.
The team was reviewing the infrastructure pursuant to proposals of the state government for accrediting it as a State Cancer Institute (SCI).
The team of technical experts, headed by Dr Kishore Singh, reviewed the bed capacity, patient load, medical facilities as well as human resources at AHRCC. Though the team was satisfied with the existing infrastructure, it stressed increasing bed capacity as there has been a significant rise in the number of patients at the cancer centre.
The bed capacity at AHRCC stands at 320 while the total patient load is around 500. An official source said 40 to 50 new patients were turning up at the centre, which is the sole state-run cancer treatment unit in the state.
On an average, 1,500 cancer patients are treated by surgery, 2,300 by radiation therapy and nearly 6,400 cases of chemotherapy are undertaken by the AHRCC annually. The hospital also registers an inflow of around 20,000 to 25,000 patients every year.
"We conducted a detailed assessment of the existing infrastructure today and we will submit our report to the Union government," said Singh.
Singh said that at present, the prevalence of cancer in India is estimated to be around 30 lakh while the annual incidence and mortality is around 11 lakh and 5 lakh respectively.
The Union government has framed guidelines to provide financial assistance for strengthening cancer care facilities under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.
Under the scheme, financial assistance of Rs 120 crore would be provided to all cancer institutes in 20 states and Rs 45 crore for nearly 50 tertiary care cancer centres in different parts of the country.
The objective of the programme is to develop capacity for tertiary care for cancer in all the states, which would provide universal access for comprehensive cancer treatment.
"The process of inspecting the facilities for the proposed cancer institutes in 17 states has been completed by various other teams," Singh said.
Once AHRCC in Cuttack is upgraded to an SCI, it will act as an apex institution for developing treatment protocols, providing outreach services, diagnosis and referral treatments.
The ambitious project includes construction of new buildings, operation theatres, cabins and intensive care units, while a specific amount will also be spent towards procurement of latest equipment and appointment of doctors and paramedical staff.
Lalatendu Sarangi, director of AHRCC, said the SCI project proposals were pending before the government of India for three years.
"The central team has conducted its final inspection and based on the committee's report, funds will be allocated, of which 60 per cent will be provided by the Centre and 40 per cent by the state government for refurbishing the facilities here," said Sarangi.
