SAMBALPUR: A cancer care centre at the premier health care institution of Western Odisha, Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla will likely be ready by next year.
The construction work of the building for the centre on the premises of the institution is going on in full swing and a target has been set to complete the work on the project by July 2024.
The work on the building is being carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD), at an estimated cost of Rs 34 crore. The announcement of the centre was made by the then state Health Minister, late Naba Kisore Das in June last year.
“The ongoing construction of a ground-plus-one-story building within the institution’s premises is progressing rapidly. Presently, the foundation part of the building is nearing completion. A bunker will also be constructed as a part of the facility,” said assistant executive engineer of PWD Santanu Sahu.
Official sources at VIMSAR informed that, to ensure compliance with safety regulations, eLORA registration has already been done. Similarly, permission of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has also been availed for building the bunker for the project.
Two linear accelerator machines will be installed at the cancer care centre under the project. It is a machine that aims radiation at cancer tumours with pinpoint accuracy, sparing nearby healthy tissue.
It is used to deliver several types of external beam radiation therapy, including image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). This apart, Out Patient Department (OPD) facility will be made available to the patients under this project, sources added.
A large number of patients from across the western Odisha, especially from Bargarh depend on VIMSAR for cancer treatment and therapies. Besides, patients from neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand also seek healthcare services for cancer from here.
On an average around 1000 new cancer cases are reported at VIMSAR annually.
Meanwhile, the work on the construction of Cancer Hospital at Bargarh is also nearing completion and a target has been set to make it functional by mid January, 2024. Both the facilities will significantly benefit the patients, offering advanced treatment options for cancer to patients dependent on government facilities only.
As of now