Kathmandu, Nov 25 (IANS): A leading Nepalese hospital has tied up with an Indian super speciality hospital to offer better treatment to cancer patients here in a first-of-its kind cooperation between the two countries, it was announced Monday.
Baidya and Banskota (B&B) Hospital of Nepal has signed an agreement with India's BL Kapoor (BLK) Super Speciality Hospital to launch the B&B-BLK Cancer Centre here.
Announcing this, officials of the two hospitals said super specialists from the BLK Cancer Centre based in Delhi shall provide their expertise to the Kathmandu centre and will also train Nepalese doctors and nurses.
The BLK hospital is among the oldest and most respected Indian hospitals with a global outreach. The hospital has a modern healthcare facility with 700-bed capacity.
The hospital has Asia’s first CyberKnife VSI - a full body robotic radio surgery system for painless and precise treatment of hitherto inoperable tumours.
The B&B-BLK Cancer Centre will provide both medical and surgical treatment to patients, including out patient department consultation, chemotherapy, treatment planning and surgical procedures depending upon patient's profile.
The centre will begin its operations Tuesday with the head of oncology department and senior consultants of BLK visiting the wards.
Every year, hundreds of Nepali cancer patients visit Indian hospitals for treatment. This new set up will help Nepali patients get treatment in their country first. Also, thousands of Nepali cardiac patients travel to India to get treatment.
"At BLK, we are committed to providing most advanced and comprehensive cancer care to the patients. We focus on providing cutting-edge clinical care to the patients coupled with most cost effective solution by combining the experiences and skill of multi-disciplinary teams. A comprehensive treatment plan for each patient is developed based on his/her specific personalised needs," said R. Ranga Rao, director of BLK Cancer Centre, New Delhi.
Jagdish Lal Baidya of B&B hospital said: "our association with BLK is in keeping with our vision to become a leading healthcare provider in the region and build a suitable platform for young doctors and health personnel to assume future leadership roles. We believe such relationships and exchange of talents is a critical step forward towards building a vibrant and healthy South Asia."
The facility also houses the largest bone marrow transplant centre outside the US, claimed BLK.
The hospital has also installed the latest generation positron emission tomography and computed tomography with time-of-flight technology to aid accurate diagnosis in a multitude of diseases. The international patient programme of the hospital is among the most respected in the region with patients coming from southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa and the US, added Rao.