Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday approved the proposal for establishment of a state-of-the-art Medical Cyclotron unit in the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital (TMCH). The unit is being established in the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) campus at Jatni on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
The State Government will fund up to Rs.150 crore for the construction. The unit is said to add to the state’s status of 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 the isotopes remain effective for only a few hours”. Secretary Health and Family Welfare Smt Shalini Pandit said.
The unit is said to 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 facilities at the institute are expected to be used for the production of medically useful radioisotopes, South East Asian regional facility for Research and Development in the area of nuclear medicine, a National facility for Research and Development in the areas of basic sciences, skill development of human resources for applied science courses and training of undergraduate and postgraduate students.