NAGALAND: GOVERNOR MOOTS SETTING UP CANCER CARE CENTRE

At the initiative of Nagaland Governor, P.B. Acharya, a meeting for setting up a cancer care centre in Nagaland by Tata Trust was held between representatives from Tata trust and chief secretary and Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) department officials at Raj Bhavan. Principal secretary to governor Piyush Goyal said Acharya had convened the meeting with the objective to hold interaction with H&FW department officials and representatives from Tata Trust to work out a modality to take the idea forward.

Lakshman Sethuraman from Tata Trust explained that the idea was to structure the system in such a way that the treatment for cancer reached doorsteps of the patients so that people need not go out of their States for cancer treatment and their livelihood was not disturbed. He added that 70% to 90% cancer care could be handled by doctors and nurses after training, while super specialists were required only for treatment planning and complicated surgeries.

He stated that the project was not about building a new cancer hospital, but to address the issue of cancer care in the entire length and breadth of Nagaland in partnership with the H&FW department.

Earlier, Acharya had written a letter to Ratan Tata for setting up an advanced cancer care centre in Nagaland. Stating that cancer cases were on the increase, Acharya invited Tata Trust to consider setting up an advanced cancer care unit in the State.

Acharya also discussed the issue, along with other public welfare issues, with chief minister Neiphiu Rio during their meeting at Raj Bhavan later. Rio expressed his happiness at the governor’s initiative on the matter, a press note issued by PRO to the governor stated.