A 500-bed CNCI hospital coming up in Rajarhat

With Bengal registering approximately 80,000 new cancer cases every year, hospitals in the city are bursting at the seams. In fact, at Tata Medical Centre, patients sometimes have to wait for 2 months for a surgery. In such a scenario, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI)’s brand new 500-bed hospital in Rajarhat will be a relief for patients, especially those from the lower economic strata. CNCI’s new campus, located a few blocks away from Tata Medical Centre, will provide state-of-the-art and affordable cancer treatment.

An autonomous body under the central government, CNCI is the only government-run cancer specialty hospital in the state. Apart from nuclear medicine facility, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, preventive oncology, and palliative care, the new campus will have advanced diagnostic services and the latest equipment.

The civil work is on the verge of completion and it is expected that the buildings will be handed over by September. A tender for machines and equipment has been floated and the process for recruitment of human resources is expected to start soon. The centre had approved `534 crore for the first phase of this campus in the beginning of 2014.

Built on 10 acres, the hospital will also cater to patients from other states in the eastern and north eastern regions, since the number of cancer patients is increasing.

In addition to the latest linear accelerator machines, the new CNCI complex will have PET/CT scan facilities, modular OTs, as well as a dedicated wing for paediatric oncology. A sum of `159 crore is being pumped in only for machines. This new campus will have a shelter facility for patients’ relatives as most families who come to hospital cannot afford to rent hotel rooms.