Starting this month, cancer patients will be referred to Guwahati in India. This change is expected to fast-track treatment and ease travel for patients and their families as Guwahati is much closer than Kolkata and Vellore, where referrals have been made until now. The national referral hospital has also opened a health liaison office in the city to improve coordination, communication, and access to timely support for patients being referred to Guwahati.
About four cancer patients will be sent this week to Guwahati for the first time.
This is following the recent upgrade of cancer treatment facilities in Guwahati.
Dr Phub Tshering, Medical Director of JDWNRH said, “So, in the past we used to send some emergency cases to Guwahati, but now recently, we even started sending some select cancer cases to be treated in Guwahati. That is through an MOU, which we have signed with the Assam Cancer Care Foundation in Guwahati.”
He added that while some selected cancer cases will now be referred to Guwahati, patients requiring more comprehensive or advanced treatment will continue to be sent to Kolkata and Vellore.
Till now, emergency referrals to hospitals in Guwahati have been managed from Samdrup Jongkhar.
According to the hospital, facilitating these referrals has been challenging.
Nearly 240 emergency cases were referred to Guwahati in the last two fiscal year.
With the number of patients being sent to Guwahati increasing, officials say establishing a liaison office has become necessary.
Dr Phub Tshering said, “Now, since we will be sending more patients in a cohort, particularly cancer patients who require straightforward cancer treatment, the number of cancer cases, and the number of patients that are being referred to the cohort will increase. So that’s why we thought now is the high time that we set up a liaison officer in Guwahati.”
This initiative is an important step toward strengthening cancer care services by ensuring patients receive timely treatment, better support, and a smoother healthcare experience closer to home.
Singye Dema
