Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the National Hadron Beam Facility at Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital today evening. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that fighting and preventing cancer is the government’s top priority. Dr. Singh said that the government is planning a National Cancer Centre that will facilitate easy exchange of information about cancer with regional centers that will be situated across India. He said that the government is committed to provide cancer treatment to patients at lowest cost and at hospitals that are closer to their homes.

The 450-crore rupee Hadron Therapy Centre will be developed by the Department of Atomic Energy – DAE. The Centre, first in India and only the second in Asia will provide focused radiation therapy to cancer patients. Once operational, the Centre is expected to treat 1500 patients annually through hadron beam therapy.

Meanwhile, lauding the six decade long service provided by the Tata Memorial Hospital in treating cancer patients, Dr. Singh said the Centre has been at the forefront of cancer treatment in India. He said that the new centre will further advance the hospital’s research and application capability. Dr. Singh said that he was happy to know that the proton beam therapy will be more precise in destroying cancerous cells without harming surrounding tissues. The Prime Minister hoped that the hospital will continue its efforts to serve the poor patients free of cost.

The Prime Minister today also laid the foundation stone for Tata Memorial Hospital’s Cancer Centre for Women and Children. Both projects will come up on a five-acre plot adjacent to the Tata Memorial Centre. The plot was handed over to the cancer centre by the state government last year.

Maharashtra’s Governor Mr. K Sankaranarayanan, Chief Minister Mr. Prithviraj Chavan and Dr. R K Sinha, Chairman Atomic Energy Commission & Secretary, DAE were present on the occasion.