Guwahati, September 5 (Daily Kiran) : Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Saturday that Assam is strengthening its cancer treatment infrastructure through a three-tier cancer care network. This initiative aims to make advanced and affordable healthcare services accessible to patients throughout the state.
In a post on the social media platform X, Sarma highlighted the ongoing expansion of the state’s cancer care network. He noted that this effort is helping patients receive quality treatment at affordable prices while ensuring a more compassionate approach towards patients and their caregivers.
Sarma cited the Kokrajhar Cancer Care Center as an example of the approach being adopted under the expanded network. The three-tier model is designed to create a network of cancer treatment facilities at various levels, allowing patients to receive care closer to home and reducing the need for long-distance travel for treatment.
Cancer has become a significant public health concern in Assam and the wider Northeast region, with a notable burden of cancer cases observed. For many years, patients from Assam and neighboring states have had to travel to larger cities outside the region for specialized diagnosis and treatment.
To address this, the state government is focusing on developing a distributed cancer care system that connects screening and early detection facilities with centers capable of providing specialized treatment. This initiative is being advanced in partnership with the Tata Trusts, which is helping to establish cancer care centers in various locations across Assam.
The overarching goal is to create an integrated system covering prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care, while making cancer services more accessible to people in both urban and rural areas.
The Kokrajhar facility is particularly important for patients from western Assam and surrounding regions, as it is expected to reduce the distance they need to travel for cancer-related services.
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