GE Health ties up with US institute to set up cancer care centres in India

GE Healthcare and Cancer Treatment Services International (CTSI) plans to develop 25 world-class cancer care centres across the country.

The network will be built at an investment of $120 million (Rs.720 crore) over five years, Terri Bresenham, CEO, GE Healthcare (South Asia), said.

Bresenham, who was in the city for the rollout of Discovery IQ PET/CT at Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, told BusinessLine that the network would help elevate the standard of cancer care and make treatment more affordable.

“Cancer doesn’t need to be a death sentence. While healthcare in India is considered the world’s most affordable, investment in the system is just one per cent of GDP. Because the basic structure is cost-effective, if the government doubles its investment, the results can be phenomenal. GE, in partnership with the private sector and the governments of Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, is designing a model to tackle the issue,” Bresenham said.

Hub-and-spoke model

“While such partnerships with willing partners would help confront India’s cancer challenge head on, the awareness levels and access to low-cost screening or broad-based solutions would have to be highlighted,” she said.

“The fear of being diagnosed with cancer and late detection, often result in death.”

GE and CTSI will configure the network in a hub-and-spoke fashion, with all centres linked to a hub, the Centre of Excellence, and supported by ‘spokes’ delivering screening and treatment options.

“We have, in partnership with American Oncology Institute in Hyderabad, established the first hub. We are now looking to extend the network to 25 hospitals in and around Hyderabad. We will initiate steps to improve awareness and screening programmes through the spoke centres to enable early detection of cancer,” she said.

Bresenham added that: “GE is working with Max Healthcare to provide a Virtual Tumour Board, which will function as a decision support system. This support system will be operational in 2015.” Business Line