Upcoming Projects

Nagpur to get a cancer hospital

Vidarbha Super- Speciality Cancer Hospital (VSCH), a 500-bed cancer hospital, is coming up in the city of Nagpur. This hospital is an initiative by Vidarbha Medical Services Limited, a public limited company, established by a group of oncologists. The Rs 50-crore-project would be completed by the end of 2010. The hospital would provide medical oncology, radiation oncology and surgical oncology.

The construction of the phase one of the hospital with 150 beds, costing Rs 15 crore, has started. The funds for the first phase have been raised through personal contribution of the oncologists and loans from major nationalised banks of the country. In the second phase, the hospital is aiming tobecome listed.

Says Dr Praveen Gantawar, Director of the Hospital, "A systematic plan has been chalked out for the future expansion of the hospital with 150 and 200 beds in the second and third phase." The hospital will have total of 20 oncologists, half of them consultants and other half will operate as assistant doctors. The hospital will commence by the end of year 2007.

"Today, cancer is a third leading cause of death in India. Moreover, there is not a single cancer hospital in the Vidarbha region. The general hospitals either lack treatment facilities or just have one single department for cancer treatment. With this super-speciality hospital for cancer treatment, we want to fill this gap," explains Dr Gantawar.

A private entity by nature, the hospital has kept aside 10 per cent beds for the poor patients. Keeping in view the widespread existence of cancer of uterus, breast and oral malignancy, the hospital will focus its eyes on the research work in these particular areas. The hospital will have departments of pathology, microbiology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and preventive oncology in the first phase.

"The department of preventive oncology will be active in creating awareness campaigns for the purpose of prevention of cancer," informs Dr Gantawar.

The hospital will have a special chemotherapy ward dealing with high doses of chemotherapy.

The hospital has plans to treat chemotherapy patients on daycare basis as it reduces the cost burden of the patients reasonably who would be charged only for half day's treatment. Besides, the hospital has plans to start a bone marrow transplantation unit and all types of radiology therapies like IMRT and brachytherapy to name just a few in the first phase. The hospital has plans to put up a nuclear medicine department in the second phase of expansion.

Sonal Shukla