Kolkata: Cancer care in Kolkata is set for a major infrastructure boost with hospitals planning to add hundreds of oncology beds over the next two years, amid a rise in cancer cases and consequent demand for local treatment.The state currently has around 1,800 cancer beds, 1,200 of which are at private hospitals and 600 at state-run facilities. Based on expansion plans announced by major hospitals, about 750 more beds for cancer treatment are expected to be added.Peerless Group’s Sunil Kanti Roy Institute of Oncology, an 11-storey cancer care centre off EM Bypass, is now partly operational with 55 beds. “The hospital will add 120 beds this year, taking its total cancer-care capacity to 175 beds by the end of the year,” Peerless General Finance & Investment Co vice-chairperson and managing director Jayanta Roy said on Tuesday. The company has invested nearly Rs 500 crore in the facility.Narayana Health’s upcoming 1,000-bed hospital in Rajarhat will be a multi-speciality facility with a focus on oncology. In the first phase, to be opened in April 2028, the hospital is expected to start with 400 beds and 40% of those—around 160 beds—will be earmarked for oncology treatment. “We have added two oncology OTs and a dedicated oncology day care centre at RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Mukundapur,” said Narayana Health group COO R Venkatesh.Manipal Hospitals, which runs cancer care centres at the Dhakuria, Mukundapur and Siliguri hospitals, currently has 390 oncology beds, 100 in Dhakuria, 200 in Mukundapur and 90 in Siliguri. “We will add a dedicated 200-bed day care centre for chemotherapy in Salt Lake by the end of the year. We conduct 50 chemotherapies a day at the three units and 300 radiations,” said Manipal Hospitals regional director (east) Ayanabh Debgupta.HCG Cancer Hospital, which currently has 88 beds, plans another cancer hospital in Bengal with an approximate capacity of 100 beds this year. “We are exploring the establishment of a dedicated cancer day-care centre in Kolkata,” said HCG Cancer Hospitals regional business head (East & AP) Rupali Basu.Ruby General Hospital will increase the number of its cancer beds from 100 to 140 by the end of the year. “By Dec, we can offer a comprehensive cancer care at our hospital, for which we need to raise the number of beds,” said Ruby chief general manager (operations) Subhasish Datta.Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals plans to reserve around 125 beds for cancer care at its 250-bed Narendrapur unit. The group’s main hospital treats cancer patients but does not have beds reserved exclusively for oncology.Woodlands Hospital, which is expanding on its premises, would be able to treat up to 50 cancer patients at a time by mid-2027, said hospital managing director Rupak Barua. The hospital currently does not have a cancer-treatment facility.Desun Hospital currently has around 70 beds dedicated to cancer treatment and may consider increasing capacity after adding new medical equipment later this year.Tata Medical Center currently has 437 beds, including 112 day-care beds, but has no immediate plan to expand its bed count.Roy of Peerless has proposed the setting up of medical tourism board to promote Bengal as a medical tourism destination. Oncologist Indranil Khan, also the MoS for youth services and sports, said Bengal needed to have more wellness centres for mental well-being and physical health.
