CM Naveen Patnaik approves to set Medical Cyclotron Unit in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: To give better facilities for cancer treatment in the state, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved the proposal for the establishment of a state-of-the-art Medical Cyclotron unit in the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital (TMCH) being established in the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) campus at Jatni.

State Government would sanction a fund of Rs.150 cr for setting up the unit. Odisha is now becoming a research and applications hub of Medical Cyclotron in the entire South East Asian region.

“Medical Cyclotron unit will produce radioactive isotopes required for critical imaging procedures such as the PET scan for treatment of cancers and other critical ailments. Presently, Odisha obtains the isotopes on a daily basis from Hyderabad, Mumbai or Kolkata and as the isotopes remain effective for only a few hours,” said Secretary Health and Family Welfare Shalini Pandit.

Stating that the proposed state-of-the-art Medical Cyclotron facility would be unique to the entire South East Asian region, she said, “It would be operated by NISER in close collaboration with TMC, Bhabha Atomic Research  Centre, Mumbai, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Kolkata, Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology, Department of Atomic Energy and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.”

The standard facility at the unit would include, production of medically useful radioisotopes, South East Asian regional facility for the Research and Development in the area of nuclear medicine, National facility for the Research and Development in the  areas of basic sciences, skill development of human resources for applied science courses, and Training of Under graduate and Post  graduate students.