Decentralizing Oncology: India Expands Advanced Cancer Infrastructure to Bridge Regional Healthcare Gaps

NEW DELHI — In a major push to decentralize specialized oncology care and alleviate the burden on metropolis medical hubs, the Government of India has significantly expanded the operational footprint of the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) over the past five years. The initiative, managed under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), has added hundreds of specialized hospital beds across tier-2 and tier-3 regions, including Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar, while committing multi-crore investments to upcoming centers in Maharashtra and Odisha.

The updates were detailed in a formal statement to the Rajya Sabha on July 30, 2026, by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space. The expansion reflects a strategic shift in public health policy: moving advanced tertiary cancer care directly to high-burden regions rather than forcing vulnerable families to travel thousands of kilometers to traditional flagship hospitals like the Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) in Mumbai.

Bridging the Distance: Key Infrastructure Expansion

Historically, patients diagnosed with complex malignancies across northern, eastern, and southern India faced severe logistical and financial hurdles, often journeying to Mumbai for diagnostics, radiation therapy, and specialized surgeries. To decentralize these services, the DAE-TMC framework has commissioned several state-of-the-art facilities:

• New Chandigarh, Punjab: The 300-bedded Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre (HBCH&RC), commissioned in August 2022 at a sanctioned cost of ₹663.71 crore, now serves as a major hub for northern India.

• Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh: Commissioned in May 2023 with a budget of ₹556.78 crore, this 210-bedded center provides comprehensive oncology services to the coastal belt.

• Muzaffarpur, Bihar: Commissioned in April 2025 at a cost of ₹198.15 crore, this 107-bedded facility addresses acute regional deficits in eastern India, where access to specialized oncology care has historically been scarce.

To further bolster national capacity, three major facilities are currently under construction:

• Platinum Jubilee Block (Mumbai, Maharashtra): A 583-bedded expansion project with a sanctioned cost of ₹880.46 crore, designed to augment TMH Mumbai’s existing clinical capacity.

• Integrated Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer (ICTREC) (Khopoli, Maharashtra): A 75-bedded facility budgeted at ₹300 crore.

• Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital (Bhubaneswar, Odisha): A 200-bedded hospital with a sanctioned project cost of ₹400 crore.

       [ Centralized Flagship ]
          Tata Memorial (TMH)
                Mumbai
                  │
     ┌────────────┼────────────┐
     ▼            ▼            ▼
 Northern      Eastern      Southern
 Hubs          Hubs         Hubs
(Punjab)   (Bihar/Odisha)  (Andhra Pradesh)

Shifting Patient Demographics: What the Data Shows

Data submitted to Parliament highlights a steady migration of patient volumes toward regional centers. While the flagship Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai maintained high annual registrations—recording 53,944 new registrations in FY 2025–26—regional centers saw rapid, sustained uptake over the same five-year period.

Patient volume at the Varanasi facilities (comprising Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre and HBCH) grew from 18,674 in FY 2021–22 to 26,907 in FY 2025–26. Similarly, patient registrations at the Punjab facilities (Sangrur and Mullanpur) doubled from 8,116 to 16,410 over the same period.

Expert Analysis: The Impact on Public Health

Public health experts view the expansion as an essential response to India’s rising cancer incidence. According to global health estimates, timely diagnosis and treatment initiation remain the primary determinants of five-year cancer survival rates.

“When a family has to travel across the country for radiation or chemotherapy, the non-medical costs—travel, lodging, lost wages—often lead to catastrophic health expenditure or treatment abandonment,” explains Dr. Arisudan Dutt, an independent public health analyst and oncologist not affiliated with the DAE. “Establishing high-caliber regional hubs under the academic and operational umbrella of TMC ensures that treatment protocol quality remains uniform, whether a patient is treated in Mumbai or Muzaffarpur.”

The model allows patients to receive complex modalities, such as linear accelerator-based radiation, targeted therapies, and specialized surgical oncology, closer to home. This regional access reduces delay between initial symptom recognition and definitive treatment.

Financial Utilization and Operational Challenges

Fiscal records presented in Parliament indicate strong fund utilization for established projects. For instance, the Platinum Jubilee Block in Mumbai saw its allocated budget of ₹157.04 crore in FY 2025–26 fully utilized (₹157.18 crore spent). Similarly, the Khopoli center utilized ₹86.20 crore against an allocation of ₹86.42 crore in the same fiscal year.

However, health system experts note that physical infrastructure is only the first step in addressing regional disparities.

Key Considerations for Scaling Facilities:

1. Specialized Workforce Allocation: Operating modern oncology centers requires highly specialized personnel, including medical physicists, surgical oncologists, radiation therapists, and oncology nurses. Ensuring adequate staffing in non-metropolitan centers remains a persistent operational challenge.

2. Early Screening Infrastructure: Regional hospital centers primarily treat patients who seek care after symptoms appear. Experts emphasize that hospital bed expansion must be paired with robust primary care screening programs to catch pre-cancerous lesions and early-stage disease.

3. Equitable Equipment Maintenance: Advanced equipment such as PET-CT scanners and linear accelerators require continuous technical maintenance to avoid service disruptions in non-urban centers.

Practical Implications for Patients and Families

For patients and caregivers navigating a cancer diagnosis, these infrastructure developments mean accessible options closer to home:

• Lower Non-Medical Costs: Seeking care at a nearby regional center reduces travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs significantly.

• Continuity of Care: Chemotherapy regimens and multi-week radiation schedules are easier to complete when facilities are locally accessible, decreasing the risk of missed sessions.

• Standardized Protocols: As satellite units of Tata Memorial Centre, these regional hospitals follow the same evidence-based treatment guidelines used at national referral centers.

Individuals experiencing persistent unexplained symptoms—such as non-healing sores, unusual lumps, rapid weight loss, or persistent changes in bowel or bladder habits—should consult a primary care physician immediately for evaluation and appropriate referral.

References

1. Parliamentary Record: Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question, Reply by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space, Press Information Bureau (PIB), Delhi, July 30, 2026.

Medical Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with qualified healthcare professionals before making any health-related decisions or changes to your treatment plan. The information presented here is based on current research and expert opinions, which may evolve as new evidence emerges.