Mayo Clinic to set up cancer institute in Odisha

Mayo Clinic of the US is keen to set up a cancer institute in Odisha.

Mayo representative Debabrata Mukhopadhyaya, met Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik yesterday with a proposal.

Under the proposal, apart from treatment of cancer, the non-profit medical care and research chain would conduct research and training programmes on cancer.

The chief minister assured the institute that the state government would extend all possible help for the project. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research would provide support to the institute, according to the government.

If the plan were to materialise, it would provide a major boost to cancer care in the state. Currently, Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre (AHRCC) in Cuttack is the only tertiary-level cancer care hospital in the government sector, in addition to AIIMS which operates a cancer care centre.

Among the major private hospitals for cancer care in the state are Hemalata Hospitals and Research Centre, Bhubaneswar and HCG Panda Curie Cancer Centre, Cuttack.

''Mayo clinic in the US, a top global cancer research institute, is interested in setting up a cancer research institute in Odisha,'' said a release from the chief minister's Office.