The State Cabinet in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday approved establishment of a cancer treatment facility, namely Bagchi-Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital & Research Institute, in Bhubaneswar.
The Sri Shankara Cancer Care Foundation, a charitable institute, has volunteered to establish the hospital. Subroto Bagchi, Odisha Skill Development Authority Chairman, and his wife Susmita Bagchi have pledged Rs 210 crore for the hospital. The State Government would provide 20 acres of land at Infocity-II, Bhubaneswar, free of cost for establishment of the hospital.In the first phase, the hospital would have 250 beds and be operational by January 2024. Later, it shall be converted into a 500-bed hospital. It would provide advanced cutting-edge cancer care with evidence-based management of cancer cases.
A total of 25% beds shall be set aside for treatment free of cost, another 25% for patients supported under different Government health schemes and the rest 50% patients will pay for the services. The revenue generated shall be utilised for expansion of the hospital and supporting poor patients.
The hospital would be an oncology centre of excellence with academic and research facilities with major categories of services like surgical, medical and radiation oncology, imaging nuclear medicine, paediatric and haemato oncology, centre for lung disease, anaesthesia and intensive care, laboratory diagnostic services, blood bank and immuno haematology services.
Other services like nursing, physiotherapy training centre, de-addiction clinic and occupational rehabilitation would also form a part of the centre. Besides, the Cabinet also approved establishment of a Bagchi-Karunashraya Palliative Care Centre in Bhubaneswar to provide free-of-cost facility.
The Karunashraya Hospice Trusts, a charitable organisation, has volunteered to establish the hospital, which would be first-of-its-kind in Odisha. Apart from hospice-based palliative care, it would provide home-based palliative care and take the responsibility to train local doctors, healthcare providers and caregivers in palliative care..