Guwahati: The Assam government on Saturday signed an agreement with Ion Beam Applications (IBA) Particles of Belgium for setting up the country's first public proton beam therapy centre in the northeastern state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

He said this advanced technology will make a significant difference for patients, particularly children, receiving cancer care.

"I am extremely proud to share that Assam has signed an MoU to set up India's first proton beam therapy centre in the public health sector at a cost of Rs 600 cr," Sarma said in a social media post.

Until now, proton beam therapy, one of the world's most advanced cancer treatments, had been available only in private hospitals in India, at costs of up to Rs 50 lakh, he said.

"Assam seeks to change that today. This advanced technology attacks tumours with pinpoint precision while sparing healthy tissues. For suitable patients, particularly children, that can make a significant difference," he added.

"With 17 cancer hospitals being set up across the state, of which 12 are functional, a community-level constant outreach programme and consistent investments in human capital and infrastructure, our ambition is clear: Assam will be a global centre for cancer care," Sarma added.

The state cabinet had in August this year approved the establishment of a proton beam therapy centre at Guwahati under the Assam State Secondary Healthcare Initiative for Service Delivery Transformation (ASSIST) project of the Assam Health Infrastructure Development & Management Society (AHIDMS).

Sarma had then said that of the estimated total cost of Rs 600 crore, Rs 315 crore will be provided by the World Bank on loan and the state will pump in the remaining Rs 285 crore.

"This investment will include machines, training and building for the centre. This will give Assam a new identity in medical tourism. It will take a minimum of three years to set up the facility," the CM said.

He said there are only 40 proton beam therapy centres in the entire world, while only two centres in India have this technology -- Tata Cancer Hospital in Mumbai and Apollo Hospital in Chennai.

Assam will have the third centre in India, but the first government one, he had added.

This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.