Central Government approves 19 SCIs and 20 TCCCs new cancer hospitals

The Minister of State Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey informed in the Lok Sabha that the Central Government is strengthening of tertiary care for cancer scheme. Under the scheme, it has planned of setting up of 19 State Cancer Institutes (SCIs) and 20 Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCCs) which have been approved.

The objective behind setting up of these new cancer hospitals is to enhance the facilities for tertiary care of cancer.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in its meeting held on February 28, 2019 had approved the continuation of the Scheme till year 2020 only with 35 SCIs/TCCCs and setting up of four more indentified SCIs including these institutions. In addition, following Cancer Centres under the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India are operational across the country:

1. Maharashtra

(i)  Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Parel, Mumbai
(ii)  Advance centre for treatment and Research in Cancer (ACTREC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai

2. Andhra Pradesh
(i)  Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre (HBCH&RC), Visakhapatnam

3. Uttar Pradesh
(i)  Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital (HBCH) , Varanasi
(ii) Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya  (MPMMCC), Varanasi

4. Punjab
(i)  Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital (HBCH), Sangrur

5. Assam
(i)  Dr Bhubaneswar Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati

Further, Oncology is also one of the focus areas in case of new AIIMS and many upgraded institutions under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

Setting up of National Cancer Institute at Jhajjar in Haryana and strengthening of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata, are also steps in the same direction.