Sheila Dikshit inaugurates a new cancer centre in Delhi

The Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday inaugurated a new cancer centre ‘SMH Curie Cancer Centre’ facilitated with the latest equipment and technologies including Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) to provide effective treatment in comprehensive prices in the state.

The Healthcare Global Enterprises Ltd, one of the country’s leading cancer care and research hospitals has set up its unit at Shanti Mukand Hospital in East Delhi that claims to open North India’s first IGRT facilitated centre in the capital. The HGEL claims that ‘SMH Curie Cancer Centre’ is equipped and facilitated with most advance technology in each and every department of oncology.

Oncology department in SMH Curie Cancer Centre is comprised with surgical, medicine, radiation, psychology and rehabilitation section.

Inaugurating SMH Curie cancer Centre, Sheila Dikshit said, “Thousands of people across the country reach Delhi alone every day in search of better treatment. Therefore, it is an appropriate place to start a service like IGRT in north India, so that maximum patient can get the benefit of the service.”

She was pleased to see private hospitals’ move in the treatment of deadly cancer disease and hope to serve better to cancer patients. As per she said that Delhi government is in the favour of opening more hospitals at public-private partnership to provide advanced healthcare facilities to the patients.

Elaborating about the aim of newly opened cancer centre, Chairman and CEO of HGE Limited Dr B S Ajai Kumar said, “The Centre will make a qualitative difference in the life and health of the citizens of Delhi and neighbouring States by providing world-class treatment at an affordable cost.”

While illustrating the quality of Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), Dr Sameer Khatri, consultant medical oncologist at the SMH-Curie Cancer Centre said, “IGRT shoots radiation beam accurately to the planned target. It allows changes in tumour position, size and shape to be measured during the course of therapy, with adjustments made to maximise the geometric accuracy.”

“IGRT is very effective in treating prostate cancer, lung cancer, gynaecological cancer and skull base cancer.” he added.

Moreover IGRT, ‘Centre has also introduced the latest targeted therapy that attacks only the cancer cells not the normal cells, which narrows the side effects’ as per oncology consultant cited.