SRN hosp to install advance machine for cancer treatment
Prayagraj: Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, under the Prime Minister's Health Protection Scheme (PMSSY), is set to install an HDR Brachytherapy machine for cancer treatment in the coming months.
The project, initially proposed in 2016 as part of a Super Speciality Block, was temporarily shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which redirected all available resources and infrastructure.
According to the media in charge of SRN, Dr Santosh Kumar Singh, the medical college will soon procure the machine because the most crucial component—an underground shielded bunker required for its installation—has not been constructed.
The layout is now ready, and work on the radiation-safe bunker has been initiated following communication with the state govt.
Detailing what Brachytherapy is, Dr Singh said, "Brachytherapy is a highly focused type of internal radiation therapy used for cancers like cervical, prostate, breast and skin cancers. It involves placing a radioactive source directly inside or next to the tumour, thereby delivering a high dose of radiation to the cancer with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissues."
Unlike external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), brachytherapy ensures that the rest of the body is exposed to very little radiation, making it an effective and safe treatment modality. According to experts, "This form of radiation therapy is extremely useful for localised tumours, and once the machine is installed, it will benefit cancer patients across the region."
Initially, in 2016, plans were approved to install this machine under PMSSY.
By 2019, the Super Speciality Block was completed, but in 2020, during the peak of COVID-19, the building was repurposed into a dedicated COVID ward, postponing all other medical projects.
"As of 2025, groundwork for bunker construction has restarted, and layout approvals are in place. Soon we will procure the machine, and the patients here at SRN will be able to get the state-of-the-art facility," said Dr Santosh, who is also the Associate Professor at MLN Medical College.
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