Regional Cancer Centre

Regional Cancer Centres (RCCs) are cancer care hospitals and research institutes operating in India under the joint control and funding of the Government of India and the respective state governments. Each RCC caters to a designated region, usually a number of districts in the country. There are currently 25 RCCs spanning all the states and union territories of India. This system operates under the National Cancer Control Programme, which started in 1975 under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The scheme originally started with 5 RCCs for 5 designated regions of the nation and has since been expanded. The government plans to assign RCC status to more regional cancer hospitals. In 2011, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy sought to upgrade the Malabar Cancer Centre, Thalassery to the level of a regional cancer centre.

Regional Cancer Centres in India

The following RCCs are currently approved and funded by the central government:

- Kamla Nehru Memorial Hospital in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (established in 1931) - Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (established in 1981) - Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata, West Bengal (established in 1950) - Gujarat Cancer Research Institute in Ahmedabad, Gujarat (established in 1972) - Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bangalore, Karnataka (established in 1980) - Mehdi Nawaz Jung Institute of Oncology in Hyderabad, Telangana - Regional Cancer Institute (WIA) in Adyar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (established in 1954) - Bhubaneswar Borooah Cancer Institute in Guwahati, Assam (established in 1973)

These RCCs play a crucial role in providing cancer care and conducting research in their respective regions, contributing to the overall fight against cancer in India.