Assam to set up country’s first public sector proton beam therapy facility at GMC

The Assam Cabinet has approved Rs 600 crore for setting up a proton beam therapy facility at Guwahati Medical College, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday, August 30.

The facility is expected to significantly expand the state’s capacity to provide advanced cancer treatment. Sarma said the proposed proton beam therapy machine would be the first such facility in India’s public healthcare system.

According to the Chief Minister, Guwahati Medical College would become the third hospital in the country, across both the public and private sectors, to have proton beam therapy.

The technology is used in the treatment of certain cancers and can enable more targeted radiation delivery, potentially reducing exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. The facility is expected to cater to cancer patients from Assam as well as other parts of the country.

In another major decision, the Assam Cabinet approved a package of around Rs 50,000 crore to support various capital-intensive projects across the state.

Sarma said the funding would be mobilised through the state’s own resources, borrowings from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), and funds available under various Central government schemes.

The package will primarily focus on strengthening primary healthcare infrastructure, schools and Anganwadi centres, besides providing housing for tea garden workers.

Funds will also be allocated for strengthening Assam’s road and power networks. A portion of the package will be utilised for strengthening anti-flood embankments in different parts of the state.

The government has positioned the investment package as a major infrastructure and public-service expansion programme, with spending targeted at sectors considered critical to healthcare, education, connectivity, power supply, housing and flood management.