BBCI (Dr. B Borooah Cancer Institute) arranges free lunch for outdoor patients

The BBCI (Dr. B Borooah Cancer Institute), Guwahati has started a free lunch
BBCI (Dr. B Borooah Cancer Institute) arranges free lunch for outdoor patients

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The BBCI (Dr. B Borooah Cancer Institute), Guwahati has started a free lunch for outdoor patients and their attendants for five days a week from June 3. This is a collaborative initiative with the Hare Krishna movement, Guwahati and Airport Authority of India (AAI), North East region.

Speaking on the occasion, Director of BBCI, Dr. Amal Chandra Kataky thanked the vice president of Hare Krishna Movement, Vijay Pandit Dasa and Sanjiv Jindal, Executive Director of AAI, (NE region). Vice president Dasa in his speech, highlighted the importance of Saatvik (pure for cure) food for positive health. Jindal spoke about various initiatives undertaken by the AAI under Corporate Social Responsibility Scheme. He assured full financial support for the continuation of the scheme.

Meanwhile BBCI, Guwahati in a press release stated that BBCI has treated 244 cancer patients with the state-of- the-art Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) radiation treatment since its induction last year.

According to Dr Amal Chandra Kataki, Director of BBCI, the institute is the only government aided hospital in Assam to have this state of the art treatment facility. The VMAT radiation therapy costs more than 2 lakh rupees in private hospitals, but this advanced treatment technology is provided free of cost to general patients at BBCI under Government schemes like Atal Amrit Abhiyan or Ayushman Bharat, further informed Dr Kataki.

Dr Apurba Kumar Kalita, Professor and Head of Radiation Oncology said "though 244 patients were treated, the numbers of VMAT plans executed are 400, as many patients require multiple phases of treatment. Each treatment plan requires separate contouring, planning, quality assurance, and execution"

Dr Mouchumee Bhattacharyya, Deputy Director (Research) added that, VMAT is a novel radiation therapy technique that delivers the radiation dose continuously as the treatment machine rotates. This technique accurately shapes the radiation dose to the tumor while minimizing the dose to the organs surrounding the tumor. Additional benefits are the shorter duration of time required to deliver the full dose of radiation as well as deployment of IGRT (Image Guided Radiotherapy) which involves incorporation of imaging before treatment to enable more precise verification of treatment delivery, stated Dr Bhattacharyya.

It may be mentioned here that, two medical physicist interns at BBCI are carrying out research projects on VMAT. 

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