Assam To Soon Get Advanced Cancer Research Facility

A cancer research facility, touted to be the largest in south Asia, will soon be set up at Amingaon in Assam's Kamrup Rural district, with the state government having already earmarked a plot for the project, officials said on Saturday.

The advanced research centre will make Assam the flagbearer of northeastern states on the global map of research hubs, they said.  Experts had on Friday deliberated on the roadmap and operational design of the project at a workshop held here, under the aegis of the state government's Medical Education and Research Department.

Internationally acclaimed oncologist Dr D Nori, along with faculty members of AIIMS, IIT Guwahati, Gauhati Medical College Hospital and other premier medical institutions, participated in the workshop to prepare a roadmap for the execution of the project.

The commissioner and secretary of Medical Education & Research Department, Siddharth Singh, said that a series of consultative discussions was on the cards to precisely define the project design. The centre will have an attached paediatric oncology hospital for child-related cancer treatment, he said.

Apart from that, a paediatric cardiology wing also has been envisaged in the project, Singh stated.

Assam, with its existing and proposed cancer treatment centres, complemented with a research facility, will emerge as the state-of-the-art cancer research hub that can attract top global talent for engaging in locally relevant oncology research, he underlined.

Given the homogenous habits of the region, this hub has the potential to generate evidence base for better control and management of cancer, not just for Assam but also for neighbouring states and countries, Singh said.