GUWAHATI, Nov 28 - City-based Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) on Wednesday commemorated its second year of takeover by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India, as an administrative unit of the Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai.
On the occasion, screening of non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and oral, breast and uterine cervical cancers was conducted for the public free of cost.
A discourse on the importance of nutrition was held at the institute for admitted patients and their care givers. The lay public was showcased a video on common cancers in order to create necessary awareness for its prevention and early detection.
Dr Amal Chandra Kataki, Director of BBCI, said that after the takeover by the DAE, the institute has undergone some major changes.
�Augmentation of human resource is one of the major changes and 74 vacant posts were advertised and some posts have already been filled up. The process for recruitment of additional 166 regular posts is presently under consideration and will be advertised in due course. Furthermore, employees of the institute whose promotion were due have been promoted and salaries upgraded,� he said.
Following the takeover, the BBCI pharmacy is dispensing highly subsidised medicines similar to the Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) in Mumbai.
�Now the entire hospital services will be computerised for which 70 per cent of the work has been completed. This will help in implementing absolute cashless transactions for patients at various service areas of the hospital. High end linear accelerator radiotherapy machine and high dose nuclear medicine ward, which is first of its kind in eastern India, have been established at BBCI. New facilities for private outdoor patient service, starting of a digital library, introduction of skull base and micro-vascular surgery, and highly skilled disease management group in line with that of TMH will go a long way in improving patient care and service,� said Dr Kataki.
A new Clinical Research Secretariat has been established to manage research projects undergoing at the institute.
Presently 18 research projects funded by the Department of Health Research, Department of Biotechnology, and the National Cancer Grid, among others, are going on at the BBCI.
It is noteworthy that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has recommended upgrading of BBCI as a common hub of cancer care for the northeastern region.
Update in Oncology: A team of specialist doctors from BBCI conducted an event on �Update in Oncology� at Naga Hospital Authority in Kohima, Nagaland, recently.
The Update in Oncology was for cancers of stomach, lung and nasopharynx, and palliative care in cancer patients.
Dr Kabindra Bhagabati, Medical Officer of Palliative Care Department, Dr Gaurav Das, Assistant Professor of Surgical Oncology, Dr Partha Pratim Medhi, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, and Dr Rakesh Misra, Resident Specialist of Medical Oncology conducted the event, which was attended by 55 doctors of Nagaland.
