BHUBANESWAR: In a huge boost to cancer care in Odisha, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Tata Trusts are set to establish a cancer hospital at National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) in Jatni. The hospital will come up at an investment of Rs 650 crore.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan informed this after a meeting with Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh and senior officers of Tata Memorial Centre in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The DAE, which is engaged in the development of nuclear power technology, application of radiation technology in the fields of agriculture, medicine, industry and basic research, will provide Rs 400 crore, while Tata Trusts will share the balance cost of Rs 250 crore for the project.
NISER has already earmarked 17 acres of land within its campus, while the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will provide another 10 acres, Pradhan said. Tata Trusts will undertake construction of the hospital and allied infrastructure. On completion, the hospital will be handed over to the Central government. It has been targeted to complete construction works within three years.
Pradhan said, plans are afoot for opening a skills training centre by the Ministry for up-skilling and capacity building of the medical staff to be recruited in the hospital. Apart from cancer treatment, the proposed medical institute will provide scope for research in advanced cancer care, Pradhan said.
Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi had taken up the issue with Singh in February 2020 for setting up a hub of Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) for cancer treatment and research in the State.
She had demanded that the centre be set up on NISER campus, where required land and other infrastructure facilities are available. Tata Trusts has already inked a pact with State government to set up and manage a state-of-the-art cancer treatment and research hospital on the city outskirts. Foundation stone for the project has also been laid.