Guntur: In response to the overwhelming demand from cancer patients, officials at the NATCO Cancer Care Centre, located within the Guntur Government General Hospital (GGH) premises, are planning to expand services by introducing advanced equipment and improving infrastructure to meet the needs of the growing patient population.
The State government recently upgraded the facility to a Level-1 Cancer Centre and allocated 35,000 sq. ft. of land next to the existing facility for the construction of an additional block by the NATCO Trust. This expansion will increase the total bed count from 110 to 200. The government aims to develop the centre into the State Cancer Institute.
As part of the expansion, a PET-CT scan machine worth Rs 18 crore will be procured for the benefit of patients. The purchase order for the equipment has already been placed. The PET-CT scan (Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography) is an essential nuclear medicine imaging test used for diagnosing, staging, treatment planning, monitoring, and detecting lymph node diseases in cancer patients.
With this addition, Guntur GGH will become the first government hospital in the state to offer PET-CT services. The 1.6-acre NATCO Cancer Care Centre is equipped with advanced medical technology, including a Varian Vitalbeam Linear Accelerator worth Rs 12 crore, BrachyTherapy, a CT Stimulator worth Rs 5 crore, and a mammography machine worth Rs 2 crore. The facility has become a one-stop solution for free cancer treatment, offering services in radiation, medical and surgical oncology, nuclear medicine, and radiotherapy, with over 25 oncology specialists providing expert care.
