Aizawl, Jun 7 (PTI): The proposed Mizoram State Super Specialty Cancer and Research Centre (MSSSCRC) is expected to be functional by 2028, a health official said on Tuesday.
The INR 500 crore project would be developed on the outskirts of Aizawl to facilitate swift and better treatment for cancer patients not only in Mizoram but also from other states in the region, the official said.
It would be funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), he said.
The proposed Super Specialty Cancer and Research Centre is expected to be one of the best cancer hospitals in the Northeast, he added.
Meanwhile, officials of JICA met Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Monday and apprised him of the preparatory survey for the project, an official statement said.
Hiroshi Ako, who headed the JICA survey team, gave a presentation on the outline, schedule and the progress of the survey, it said.
He urged the governor to extend the assistance that might be required at certain stages of the implementation of the project.
Kambhampati thanked JICA for funding the project and appreciated the responsibility taken by the agency for the meticulous survey and design.
According to JICA officials, the survey works of the project will continue for another two years with the preparation of the design.
Mizoram, often called the "cancer state", reports an estimated 725 deaths every year due to cancer, and three people are diagnosed with the deadly disease every day, as per official data.
According to the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP)-2012-2016, released in 2020, Mizoram recorded 207 and 172.3 cancer cases per one lakh men and women, respectively.
The total number of people diagnosed with cancer in the state during 2012-2016 was 8,059. Of them, 4,080 cancer cases were registered in Aizawl district alone.
One out of every five persons has the risk of cancer in the age group of 0-74 years in Mizoram.