GUWAHATI, Dec 4? Patients suffering from cancer in the North East will soon have expert help available at their very doorsteps. The North Eastern Council (NEC), headquartered in Shillong, has drawn up an ambitious project to link some 72 referral hospitals in the region with the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai. The dream tele-medicine project will become a reality by March next year. Speaking to The Assam Tribune here today, NEC Secretary PL Thanga said that Rs 39 crore has been earmarked for the project. ?The NEC will fund the project to link 72 units in all the States including Sikkim,? the top bureaucrat disclosed. The TMC is one of the top medical institutions in the country dealing with cancer.
The North East has for long struggled to deal with the large number of cancer patients. ?The region has a far higher incidence of cancer than any other region in the country,? disclosed Dr PK Choudhury, superintendent of the Dr B Barooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) here. The Institute is the largest of its kind in the region and has been designated as the Regional Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment. According to Choudhury, most of the cancerous afflictions diagnosed in the region are in the area above the shoulder.
The BBCI has the objective of enhancing the facilities for diagnosis and treatment of all types of cancer primarily for the patients from the region. It also has the facility for research. As per the second tripartite agreement signed in 1997, three parties, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of Assam and the NEC share its financial liabilities. The NEC has been releasing funds for recurring and non-recurring expenditure of the Institute. During 2001-02 it released Rs 4 crore, out of which Rs1.06 crore was for recurring expenditure and the remaining for purchase of equipment and for construction work.
Despite the existence of institutions like the BBCI here, most of the cancer patients from the region, especially those who can afford it, make a beeline to the metropolitan cities for consultation and treatment. Mumbai is a top destination. Apart from being a huge drain of resources, it also meant a great deal of inconvenience for the patients and their attendants. The NEC Secretary was in the city in connection with the inauguration of the telemedicine center at the BBCI today. It is the first such center in the region. TMC Director Dr KA Dinshaw was personally present on the occasion. BBCI doctors discussed a few cancer cases with the TMC experts in the first day itself.
?There are a good number of cancer patients from the North East and it is a collaborative effort,? said Thanga. The telemedicine center at the BBCI has been commissioned by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Space, Government of India. ?The idea is to ensure that the best expertise is available for treatment of cancer patients here,? the NEC chief executive stated.
Thanga said that the telemedicine center at the BBCI would be linked with the other Government referral hospitals in the region, including Sikkim. ?It will be a server-based multi-channel link,? he said, adding that besides facilitating point-to-point communication, it will also enable forward and backward linkages. The new telemedicine link network will be in place by next March. ?The design and software for the system has been tested already, they have been very successful,? Thanga added.