Bhubaneswar: To provide quality cancer care to patients in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved a proposal for establishment of a state-of the-art Medical Cyclotron unit in the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital (TMCH) being established in the NISER campus at Jatni, an official said.
The state government would fund up to Rs 150 crore for the purpose. The unit would add to Odisha becoming a research and applications hub of Medical Cyclotron in the entire South East Asian region, Health and Family Welfare secretary, Shalini Pandit said on Thursday.
Replying to a media query about the unit, Pandit said: “Medical Cyclotron unit will produce radioactive isotopes required for critical imaging procedures such as PET scan for treatment of cancer and other critical ailments. Presently, Odisha obtains isotopes on a daily basis from Hyderabad, Mumbai or Kolkata and the isotopes remain effective for only a few hours”.
The Health secretary said the proposed state-of-the-art Medical Cyclotron facility would be unique to the entire South East Asian region. It would be “operated by NISER in close collaboration with TMCH, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Kolkata, Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology, Department of Atomic Energy and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.
