Tripura’s SMCH plans nationwide radiology centres in smaller towns in 5 yrs

Agartala: Santiniketan Medical College and Hospital (SMCH), Tripura, has signed an MoU with Truevis Technologies, a leading medical technology solutions provider, to establish 300 radiology centres across Tier II cities and smaller towns over the next five years.Saugata Pit, an executive at SMCH, said the collaboration aims to support independent radiologists in transitioning from employees to owners of diagnostic enterprises. The initiative seeks to address challenges such as high capital requirements, access to advanced technology, and complex operational structures that often hinder private practice.The partnership envisions enhancing diagnostic services in line with the govt’s push to transform smaller towns into medical hubs. With a focus on clinician-owned diagnostic centres, the project aims to reach over a million patients annually.An investment of Rs 1,000 crore will be made over five years, prioritizing autonomy for radiologists to own their clinics while receiving technical and operational support from SMC Clinics and Truevis.The collaboration’s primary objective is to tackle the cancer crisis by deploying advanced imaging equipment — including mammography and PET-CT — across 300 centres. This will emphasize early-stage cancer detection, improve survival rates, and reduce costs by up to 30% through local supply chains.Truevis Technologies will provide end-to-end solutions, including sourcing state-of-the-art equipment, vendor management, installation, and maintenance. SMCH will oversee operational strategy, software integration, referral networks, and branding, leveraging its institutional affiliation.Pit highlighted the growing reliance on technology-driven diagnosis in modern treatment, stressing that the partnership will enable radiologists to focus on high-quality patient care while improving accessibility and affordability of diagnostic services in urban and semi-urban areas.