Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurates PET-MRI Wing in Guwahati

GUWAHATI: Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday inaugurated Northeast India's first-of-its-kind PET-MRI Wing at State Cancer Institute, Guwahati Medical College & Hospital in presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. After inauguration of the PET-MRI Wing at State Cancer Institute, a function was held at GMCH Auditorium. The Vice President said that the PET-MRI Wing would not only help in more accurate diagnosis, but would also reduce patients' exposure to radiation. It is only the fourth such machine in India and the first in the eastern region, which is based on Time-of-Flight technology.

Referring to the step-down cancer care model called the Distributed Cancer Care Model, which the Assam Government proposes to implement in partnership with Tata Trusts, he advised other States to emulate it for providing timely and effective treatment to cancer patients.

The Vice President said that palliative care was a crucial area that required greater attention of the governments and health professionals. "Palliative care is basically supportive care and seeks to improve the quality of life of patients," he added. Naidu also urged all the State governments to include lessons on the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles in the school curricula to make children aware of the need to prevent non-communicable diseases. He called for a national campaign to bring awareness among people about 'lifestyle diseases'.

Informing about the Assam Cancer Care Foundation set up in partnership with Tata Trusts, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the State Government was implementing a Distributed Cancer Care Model in the State through the Foundation for providing timely and effective treatment to cancer patients. Under this Model, there is one Apex Referral Centre which is State Cancer Institute in Guwahati called Level 1, Comprehensive Cancer Hospitals attached to Government Medical Colleges called Level 2s and Diagnostic and Day Care Centres with Radiation adjacent to District hospitals called Level 3s.

Under the Distributed Cancer Care Model, 18 cancer hospitals are being set up across the State to create patient-centric cancer institutions to deliver standardized and affordable cancer care closer to the patients' homes as they would not need to travel outside the State for treatment and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for cancer patients.

The Chief Minister also informed that free cancer treatment was being provided to poor and underprivileged sections in the State taking advantage of Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat and Atal Amrit Abhiyan schemes which cover almost 92 per cent of such patients. He also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of setting up a medical college in each district of the country and informed that Assam Government was building medical colleges in 23 districts of the State.

Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi, Health Minister Keshab Mahanta, Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah and other dignitaries were also present at the programme.

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