DAE seeks details after CM plea for cancer centre in Balasore

Bhubaneswar: The department of atomic energy (DAE) has sought additional details from state govt after chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi wrote to DAE secretary Ajit Kumar Mohanty seeking the establishment of a Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Balasore.Chithra Arumugam, additional chief secretary (science and technology), said they received a letter from DAE recently. "The science and technology department has urged the health and family welfare department to examine the proposal and take further action," she added.Last month, Remuna MLA Gobinda Chandra Das, also deputy chief whip in the assembly, requested the CM for establishment of the centre. "A 250-bed tertiary cancer hospital with advanced diagnostic and therapeutic facilities can be created at Balasore for the benefit of people of north Odisha and nearby areas," Das wrote.Majhi, in his letter to Mohanty, said northern Odisha, encompassing Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Jajpur districts, has a combined population of more than 1.1 crore. "These districts lack access to advanced oncology treatment, compelling patients to travel long distances to Cuttack, Kolkata or Mumbai for specialised care," the CM wrote.Balasore is strategically located on NH-16, with road and rail connectivity and an upcoming airport at Rasgobindpur in Mayurbhanj. Balasore district already hosts a govt medical college and an AIIMS satellite centre, which can serve as support institutions for such a regional cancer centre."State govt is prepared to provide around 50 acres of land free of cost, near Balasore town, along with necessary support in utilities, infrastructure, and statutory clearances for the establishment of this institution," Majhi stated.He said the proposed centre will greatly strengthen cancer care delivery, research, and training in eastern India and aligns with the DAE's national vision to expand the network of cancer centres under the Tata Memorial Centre model."In view of the above, Odisha govt strongly recommends the establishment of the centre at Balasore, under the department of atomic energy (DAE) in collaboration with the Tata Memorial Centre," read the CM's letter.