New Delhi February 7, 2014:- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the development of the first phase of the second campus of the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), Kolkata at an estimated total cost of Rs. 534 crore of which the Central share will be Rs. 400 crore.
This will be a 460-bedded hospital with modern state-of-the-art facilities for comprehensive care and diagnosis of cancer. The new campus, located at Rajarhat near the airport is to be completed in 30 months. The facilities will include radiation oncology, surgical oncology, medical oncology, cancer diagnostics, preventive oncology, palliative care etc.
The CNCI is a National Cancer Institute which caters to West Bengal and the States of the East and the North-East. The existing campus has only 200 beds with constraints of an old building and limited land resulting in a very high patient load. The new campus has been envisaged to meet the objectives of affordable and accessible tertiary level care for treating cancer. The new facilities will also address the current regional imbalance in the availability of tertiary care cancer facilities. Development of human resources in various fields of cancer treatment will also receive a much needed impetus.
Background:
Cancer is emerging as a major public health concern in India. 11 lakh new cases are diagnosed every year and the mortality rate is 5.5 lakh per year. Cancer treatment facilities in India are lagging behind when compared to World Health Organisation (WHO) standards which require one radiotherapy machine per million population. India at present has 0.41 machines per million population. The setting up of the second campus of the cancer institute at Rajarhat will be a new chapter in the initiative against cancer.
This approval comes in addition to the National Cancer Institute approved at Jhajjar and the setting up of 20 State Cancer Institutes and 50 Tertiary Care Cancer Centres in different parts of the country.
